Hidden Camera Film for ING Direct Bank Sees Customers Surprised with 'Wait Tax'

Earlier this year, ING Direct unveiled its new platform Human to Human Banking with the brand signature 'The bank that invests in me', putting its efficiency in customer service at the centre of its communication. But the brand didn’t just make claims in TV spots, ING Direct set out to prove it,  by addressing a social problem: waiting.

Customers in France are ever more exasperated with waiting, especially when it comes to waiting on hold with customer service departments.

But what’s even worse than waiting, is being charged to wait, something a lot of companies in France still do.

In order to make a lasting impression and prove its efficiency in customer service, ING decided to take things a step further, with the help of its agency Rosapark.

On September 28th, for the first time, the bank will, in addition to not making clients wait, pay them for their wait time. As much as 60 cents a minute.

“Wait time has become as important an issue as money for French people. With this operation, which succeeds in addressing both problems at the same time, ING Direct is showing its unique investment in its clients and bringing the brand’s promise to life,” explains Sacha Lacroix, Managing Director at ROSAPARK.

To make this operation visible, the agency took an unusual approach.

“Our objective was to succeed in making the public feel this injustice, which involves not only waiting, but paying for it as well,” explains Jean-Francois Sacco, Co-founder. “To do this, we set up a hidden camera. A real one, at a gas station. When customers came to pay for filling up their tank, the cashier charged them a “waiting tax”, just like when you’re charged for waiting on hold with customer service. People were furious and their reaction was immediate…”

These scenes were put together into a film, which launches the operation on September 28 via Facebook and Twitter.

The operation will also introduce the hashtag #PayeTonAttente (Pay your wait) will circulate on Twitter, sparking conversations around the notion of waiting. Tweeters can send ING Direct their daily wait times, whether for the bus, a café, a meeting or a washing machine, for the chance of getting reimbursed for the time (at 60 cents per minute).

In addition, fold-over cover ad will appear in 20 Minutes, a free daily distributed throughout Paris, explaining ING Direct’s operation.

That’s a bank that invests in its clients.