Meet Stan

The ING DIRECT news never stops! On top of all the THRiVE Chequing events, there’s Stan! Stan is the front man for THRiVE. In an animated short film, Stan takes you through the awesome features and amazing benefits of this new no-fee chequing account. A charming Saver who longs to only bank with ING DIRECT, Stan tries to convince his skeptical friends that branches are just a façade, what really matters are the savings.

Watch Stan on ING DIRECT’s Facebook  page and while you’re there, become a fan.

THRiVE Live at Berczy Park

What better way to celebrate ING DIRECT’s new chequing account THRiVE than with a synchronized swimming number. But not just any swimming, fountain swimming.

Berczy Park, 12:43 : a troop of dancers clad in orange bathing suits decorated with a THRiVE arrow and Your185.ca emerged from a dark van. Music started up, the girls took their place and the dance number kicked off. It was wild. The girls danced their heart out in the park’s fountain. A mix of synchronized swimming moves paired with jazz and modern dance lured the crowd closer. Kids were clapping. People were snapping photos. I personally couldn’t help but cheer. And as if the dance number wasn’t enough, the dancers handed out baggies of money – your bank fees. A crowd favourite no doubt.

And then it was done. The music came to an end as the dancers posed on the edge of the spraying fountain. The crowd cheered and applauded, Voila, our stunt was a huge success. The perfect way to end a day packed with amazing events. Big thanks to the dancers, crew and of course, ING DIRECT.

Stay tuned for videos of the Fountain Dance.

Operation THRiVE

A mere four weeks ago Operation THRiVE was set into action. Dashboard, GWP, Maverick and Response Innovations – ING DIRECT’s four media partners broke away to make magic. Today all the hard work paid off (in more ways than one).

When ING DIRECT announced to us that they were launching THRiVE Chequing we knew it had to be BIG. This online, no-fee daily chequing account that will allow Canadians to deposit, withdraw or transfer money for free, while earning interest is ING DIRECT’s biggest announcement since they came to Canada.

To make noise and get Canadians excited we devised a national campaign that spanned all media. And it all started with $185 – the average amount Canadians pay in bank fees (or did).

The campaign kicked off weeks ago with a very obscure website – your185.ca. We wanted to demonstrate what your annual fees look like. On this site, pages filled with 185 images (cupcakes, pigeons, sparkling diamonds) cycled through. After every fifth pattern came a simple message, “August 18. Take back your 185.” Designed to create buzz and build SEO, the site got people talking and wondering out loud on Facebook and Twitter.

Which takes us to today, August 18…

The day began with radio remotes broadcasting from ING DIRECT cafés in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. Listeners were driven to the cafés for a chance to “Win Big on the Spot”. Participants stood on large orange circles and were randomly chosen for prizes of up to $185.

Then, using street team videos, we captured Canadians passionate reactions to the outrageous fees they pay annually. Just to stir the pot!

Meanwhile, ING DIRECT Savers received an exclusive email from Peter Aceto, ING DIRECT’s CEO. In a sneak peak video, Peter shared the exciting news with Savers first.

Also, commuters in Toronto and Montreal came head-to-head with their annual bank fees. Giant pedestrian billboards covered in loonies, toonies, quarters, nickels and dimes hid an important message. As passersby pulled off the coins, the big news was revealed, “Stop being nickel and dimed. Meet THRiVE.”

At 12:00 Peter Aceto took to the podium at the Toronto Eaton Center to make the news public.

All roads led to Your185.ca. The hub for all of the day’s activities. You can see the money wall in action and watch Peter Aceto’s press conference live. A Twitter feed pulls in all of the online chatter, while the Flickr feed streams in images from the events. And most importantly you can learn about THRiVE and register for the preview.

What a great day! A huge success for our friends at ING DIRECT. But wait, the fun’s not over…

News Alert: ING DIRECT Canada names Dashboard as interactive agency of record

Dashboard, a Toronto-based interactive agency, today announced its appointment by ING DIRECT Canada as interactive agency of record. Dashboard will provide strategic and creative interactive services to ING DIRECT. Dashboard will work to support the overall business, strategy, marketing and advertising objectives.

“With a proven track record and in-depth knowledge of our industry, Dashboard, is a valuable asset and a welcome addition to our team. Dashboard brings expert resources and strategic thinking to our business,” said Mark Nicholson, Head of Online Experience, ING DIRECT Canada. “We needed a partner who knows digital inside and out and Dashboard’s expertise is evident in our daily interactions with them. We’ve already begun working together on several campaigns and the partnership is certainly meeting our expectations.”

Since its Canadian inception, ING DIRECT has been a strong player in the digital space. For over 13 years, they have operated and marketed as a direct bank. A partnership with Dashboard, will further ING DIRECT Canada’s interactive initiatives. With big news for the bank on the horizon, both teams have already begun working.

“We are thrilled to add ING DIRECT to our growing roster of excellent clients,” said Daryl Aitken, President, Dashboard. “ING DIRECT was one of the first digital marketers in Canada, essentially digital veterans, so they are ready to go to the next tier of digital presence that Dashboard delivers on time and time again. Our team is already at work doing smart and innovative work.”

Click here to see the original news release

Dashboard hits Heatwave

There was commotion in the sand last Saturday as Dashboard took to the beach as part of the annual Heatwave volleyball tournament in support of Sick Kids.

Along with friends from ING DIRECT Canada and John St, Dashboard entered 2 teams in the Rec and Comp divisions, narrowly missing the playoffs but acing any potential Congeniality awards. With a solid Plan B in hand, the teams migrated to Murphy’s Law afterwards to re-hash the day, watch Germany take Uruguay… and to shake out the sand that always seems to get everywhere.

Great weather, great day, great cause. Well done teams!

Check out some photos from the day.

Helping our clients shed their security blankets

Like most retailers, our automotive clients are under an avalanche of information, telling them how important it is for them to move their advertising and marketing models more towards digital and social media. It’s a great time to be a digital agency, you’d think the clients would be throwing their dollars at us and we’d be up to our ears in projects.

Not so fast…

We’re seeing our media universe change so quickly it’s making our client’s heads spin.

Not good…

Our automotive clients have been in business a long time…they know how to advertise in print, radio and television, but they look to us to provide the strategies for the digital arena. We can strategize until the cows come home, but unless our clients understand the tools and outlets we want to use to promote their brand, none of us are ahead.

Seeing this, Dashboard and Google teamed up this past Wednesday for a Digital Symposium tailored for the Ontario Toyota Dealers Association. Both teams delivered engaging sessions. The dealers were taken through general search and Google Adwords basics, and looked at how to effectively use multiple digital media tools to reduce spend and increase ROI. We ended the day with ‘Social Media 101’, where everyone left feeling energized and aware of how this new medium could help their businesses and brand.

As we left the conference room I noticed a few discarded blankets…

Dashboard Launches A “Mother” Of A Site

Recently we launched a brand new branded entertainment site for Fresh Baked Entertainment. We designed and developed the online home for their  new web show “MotherLoad”. We created an environment to house the show that creatively embodied what the show was about all the while providing advertising opportunities for the shows sponsors.

What we came up with was the “Organized Chaos” design that reflected the busy life of today’s mom. The site features feeds from Youtube and twitter as well as Erin’s blog. All of these elements allow the shows viewers to connect with the show on a deeper level.

In the backend we created a custom CMS that allows Fresh Baked to manage nearly every aspect of the website. From posting new episodes, updating the blog and even moderating comments on both the video and blog posts.

From start to finish this was a great project, we even got a sneak peak of the hilarity that viewers of the show can look forward to.

Be sure to check out the show here: www.motherloadtv.com

Free-Run Wins Site Of The Day

Today Hellmann’s Run For Real Food was awarded Design Lick’s Site Of The Day. So who are Design Licks? Well they’re a creative web award website that rewards the most beautiful, creative, user-friendly, innovative and well-designed websites around the world.

Thank you Design Licks. Our Hens are too busy training, so they weren’t available for comment. But there were high-fives all around when we told them the news. Way to go Dashboard! And if you haven’t coached a hen yet, seriously, what are you waiting for?

Join Hellmann’s Run For Real Food

What do Amy Longlegs, Margery Strides and Elvira Flash have in common? Well aside from being Canadian free-run hens, they’re also competing in Hellmann’s Run For Real Food. Coincidence? Not quite. Serendipitous? You bet.

What better way to launch Hellmann’s ½ the Fat now made with Canadian free-run eggs, then running free-run hens across the Internet. In the first race of it’s kind, users get to select their hen, suit her up and train her for the big day. From running on a farm-grade treadmill to yoga stretches, these hens sweat it up with hopes of winning free groceries for a year. And when they’re not working out, they’re posing on Facebook. With the photo-bombing tool, you can add your hen to all of your pics.

To date, 20,000 hens have entered the Run. Come June 23rd there’s going to be a lot of birds clucking around the Internet. Check Yahoo and MSN for all the action. Follow along from site to site as these ladies make history.