Dutch bank invites people to impersonate Frederik

ING Direct pitchman a tv hit

TORONTO, Ontario - Frederik, the plain-spoken Dutch-ac-cented actor in the television commercials of ING Direct, has drawn a lot of attention with his no-nonsense approach and created quite a following. So much so, that ING has started an ‘Frederik Im-personation Contest.’

The Canadian subsidiary of the giant Dutch financial group is building on the appeal of Frederik and invites people to tape their own (or someone else’s) impersonation of the spokesman, invariably clad in a suit-and-vest, but without a tie. The contest runs until May 31, 2004, and the grand prize is a week-long trip for two to Amsterdam.

Frederik - the commercials always have an orange background somewhere such as a mountain of oranges - is one of the judges who will pick a winner.

For more information, contest rules and adddress, visit www.ingdirect.ca or call 1-800 INGDIRECT.