ING Direct Comes To Chicago
ING Direct is rolling out a promotion in Chicago, Illinois, as part of its plan to begin building physical presences in more states. The CTA’s Orange “L” line, naturally, has been chosen as a medium for advertising the arrival, with the train cars wrapped with the ING Direct lion logo and phrases such as “El-evate your savings” and “Save your money.” Billboards and other outdoor advertising is visible around downtown. Chicago recently allowed its cabs to carry illuminated ads on their roofs, and it seems like a good quarter of them carry ads for ING Direct.
$50 ING Chicago Bonus
A mailer has also been circulated among current account holders in the area, addressed to “Dear Chicago Saver,” and containing two special mail-in referral applications. New accounts opened with the mailer get a $50 bonus, double the normal referral bonus, while the referrer account is credited the same $10. There have also been some flyers inserted into the weekly Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times newspapers that reward new accounts with a $50 ING Chicago bonus. The flyers and mailer applications are valid through December 31, 2006. Update: I’ve heard that people have opened accounts using the codes in the mailers after December 31, 2006 and have received the promotional bonus.
The mailer states, in part, “You were ahead of the curve when you started saving your money with ING Direct. So we feel there’s no better place to start spreading the word about our launch into Chicago than with you. You’ll soon be seeing us all over the city. During the last week of September, we’ll be hosting some really exciting events in Chicago to spread the savings message. Please stop by and say hello if you’re in town. If you think of a few friends you’d like to pass the savings along to, tell them about us. And thanks again for being a savings pioneer.”
The limited time $50 ING Chicago bonus officially expires on December 31, 2006. If you’re interested in opening an Orange Savings account with the standard $25 bonus, you can get an ING Direct referral email.
There’s no word on when they’ll open an actual physical location, called not banks but Cafes, but I’m guessing that it’s inevitable and they try to spread their presence into the middle of the country. ING Cafes exist in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Wilmington, DE. They also look pretty cool.
