ING GERMANY
The digital-first bank ING Germany boosted ad recall by 15 points after using a sporting celebrity in its playful Instagram Reels ads campaign.
Part of the Amsterdam-based ING Group of financial services companies, ING Germany is the third-largest bank in Germany. ING offers current accounts, mortgages, consumer loans and investment products and takes a digital-first approach via a wide range of app-based solutions.
lift in standard ad recall
lift in favorability
lift in brand awareness
ING wanted to increase awareness of its banking app in Germany
THE SOLUTION
Reels ads are a dunk
ING Germany developed an Instagram campaign featuring its brand ambassador, Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki is a retired German basketball player who played in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks, and is widely considered the finest basketball player yet to come from Europe.
The campaign used Reels ads, which are full screen and vertical, and appear between individual Reels. As with regular Reels content, these ads will loop and can be up to 30 seconds long. People can comment, like, view, save and share Reels ads.
The Reels ads featured Nowitzki in playful scenarios—dribbling a basketball, trimming his bonsai or skipping a rope—while consulting the ING banking app on his phone. The ads were designed to communicate how mobile banking can make managing money easy and stress-free.
A brand lift study found that the Reels ads helped ING Germany reach new customers, especially among a younger audience. The campaign ran in August and September 2021 in Germany and achieved:
- 15-point lift in standard ad recall
- 6.5-point lift in favorability
- 1.4-point lift in brand awareness