ING has built a powerful and distinctive brand, but it has not managed to connect with young people in the past few years. A tough audience that is not interested in banks, brands and traditional advertising. Therefore, in 2023 it set the target to become a social love brand and to become a relevant bank for Gen Z in the environment in which they spend most of the time: social media.

If 2023 was a year in which it was hard to build a brand that was relevant to Gen Z, this year was even harder for banks. In an environment saturated with entities that have similar proposals and which share very similar content on social media, all from the same standpoint: financial education. When in reality the last thing young people want is to scroll and have a bank appear and bother them. They don't have a genuine interest in following a bank. Not even their own bank. They want to follow accounts that help them disconnect with leisure, comedy or culture content, among other types of content.

So, how did we manage to turn ING into something relevant for them with everything against us? Changing the focus. Not talking about the bank, but about what they are interested in. Being capable of solving their problems from the standpoint of a "bank that's not a bank". For those who don't see banks as a priority. Which works to be out of the way of their lives. Which advocates for their freedom from the positioning of "Do your own thing". A position that connects with this misunderstood generation. With an increasingly demanding life, impossible schedules and not enough time to invest in what truly matters to them.

Therefore, we defined a strategy that tackles this: ING offers Gen Z what they truly need: time to "do their own thing". Where? On their favourite platform. On TikTok. This is where they place their limited attention and are not just spectators. They play the leading role and interact with the content.

So, how do we achieve this on TikTok? We decided to disguise ourselves on the platform with the other creators. Being different. Original. Doing something that catches their attention and stops them from scrolling. Only the "bank that's not a bank" can do this. This is how we personified the brand promise in Leonardo. A cuddly two-metre-tall orange lion that doesn't go unnoticed. Which ING has brought to life to help young people manage everything that takes them time from "doing their thing".

First, we had to give Leonardo an identity and a clear goal: to be an affable and affectionate lion that listens to users and helps them "do their thing". Whatever this is. Whatever you ask, Leonardo will do it. The aim is to help them whenever they need it. Therefore, what we did next is to make a tailor-made suit: for a huge lion, a very large, bulky lion with a kind and clumsy appearance that makes it even more adorable and memorable.

So, how does Leonardo work? It's very simple. Users only need to share, through open comments or direct messages, the tasks they need Leonardo to do for them. We filter them and even though this might sound impossible, odd, stupid or risky, Leonardo takes on the weekly mission to help its target "do their thing".

These missions live side-by-side with other additional content on TikTok to help build Leonardo's personality: trends, sketches and replies to comments that help us be more reactive and interact with the community.

This was a turning point for ING, and the arrival of such a special lion to TikTok had to be announced. This is how we launched a campaign with diverse content explaining who Leonardo is and his mission, with Leonardo himself appearing in street ads or on the platform. And the key piece: a very catchy jingle that would allow you to discover in just a few seconds what ING and a huge lion with much flow offers to the platform's users.

We accompanied the launch with a strategy including content creators, like Ceciarmy, Fran Carneros, Peldanyos or Laura Casquero, who helped us introduce Leonardo to the community, talking about his strengths with different insights.