Reference / Case study 12 / Financial services
ING: making an international brand platform usable in France
The work supported the localisation of ING's international brand platform for France, separating the non-negotiable core from proof points that had to be rebuilt around the local offer, brand history and competitive context.
- Client
- ING
- Industry group
- Financial Services
- Specific industry
- Banking
- Expertise
- Brand platform localisation
- Market
- France
- Engagement
- Local market relevance and actionability
- Case
- 12
- LED AT
- Brainvalue
Context
ING: making an international brand platform usable in France
ING is a Dutch banking group. In France, its online-banking activity was built from the 2000s around strongly remunerated savings accounts, giving ING Direct a highly identifiable and premium local meaning.
For close to fifteen years, ING and Boursorama were principal drivers of online banking in France. Competition later intensified through Boursorama, Revolut, N26 and other digital players, while the international platform described a broader bank than French consumers associated with the name.
ING announced the closure of its retail activity in France in December 2021; an agreement with Boursorama organised the transfer of eligible customers in 2022. The case therefore makes a necessary distinction: a brand platform can improve clarity and preference, but it cannot repair a business model that does not hold.
Localising is not translating. Translation transposes words; localisation rebuilds proof points that are true, credible and useful in a market.
Strategic challenge
The questions that structured the work
Our approach
From analysis to usable decisions
Begin with local meaning
Read what the brand already signifies in the market before reading the international platform.
Audit each platform element
Qualify every element as locally true, unverifiable or contradicted rather than adapting the document cosmetically.
Separate core from proof
Keep the non-negotiable international core explicit while rebuilding proof points around the French offer and behaviour.
Rebuild the expression territory
Adapt tone, references and local language so the promise can be heard without creating a different brand.
Test actionability
Use live cases to verify that the local platform changes decisions in briefs, communication and customer experience.
Research and work conducted
What the engagement covered
- A reading of local brand perception distinct from the international promise.
- An element-by-element audit of what was true, unverifiable or contradicted in France.
- A separation between the non-negotiable brand core and elements to rebuild locally.
- Proof points reconstructed from the offer actually available in France.
- Adaptation of language, references and tone.
- A version written to be used in briefs and tested against concrete decisions.
Business value
A reading that makes trade-offs easier
A platform local teams use
Verifiable proof points make the platform a working tool rather than a reference document.
Fewer workarounds
When a platform does not apply, teams quietly bypass it. Serious localisation removes that invisible cost.
International coherence
Separating core from proof points allows local relevance without fragmenting the brand.
Clarity about the limit of brand work
The method distinguishes what brand can solve from what belongs to the offer, economics and business model.
Deliverables
Objects teams can use beyond the engagement
- A local perception reading for the French market.
- An audit of the international platform by local truth and usability.
- A defined non-negotiable core and rebuilt French proof points.
- A local expression territory covering register, references and tone.
- A localised platform usable in briefs.
- Test cases for checking actionability.
Key learnings
What this case makes clear
- Localising is not translating: it rebuilds proof points.
- It is usually the proof points that need adapting, not the purpose or promise.
- A successful entry product can durably define what an international brand means locally.
- A platform that changes no decision has been translated, not localised.
- Successful localisation does not compensate for a business model that does not hold.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is brand platform localisation?
It is the adaptation of a platform to make its promise, proof points, expression and decision criteria true and usable in a specific market while keeping the brand recognisable.
Why is localisation different from translation?
Translation changes language. Localisation examines whether the promise holds in the local offer, history, competitive landscape and culture, then rebuilds what does not.
What should remain global?
The non-negotiable brand core: the elements needed for the brand to remain recognisably itself across markets.
What usually changes locally?
The evidence, references, language, customer situations and sometimes the practical decision criteria that make a promise credible.
Can brand localisation solve a structural business problem?
No. It can improve relevance and preference, but it cannot solve profitability, cost structure, pricing or an offer that no longer fits the market.