Mr. Box Explains the Benefits of Credit Cards for ICS

This week sees the launch of Mr Box, the new integrated campaign from International Card Services (ICS), the Benelux market-leading credit card provider. The CGI animated campaign, starring original character Mr Box and his delivery box friends, aims to raise awareness of the importance of shopping online with your credit card.

In the Benelux region there are currently around 3.5m ICS credit cards currently in circulation and the campaign brings to life the security that paying by credit card gives you if something goes wrong with your delivery.

The campaign, which comprises TV, digital and print, was developed by Amsterdam-based creative agency Eigen Fabrikaat and created in collaboration with leading production hot shop The Ambassadors. 

Frederike Versloot, Communications Manager, ICS: “Today here is a lot confusion around credit card payments. Many people are under the misconception that online credit card transactions can be unsafe, while, in actual fact, this is one of the safest ways of paying. “We feel that now is the time to create awareness of the benefits of shopping by credit card, in a bold and unexpected way.”

Rik Vandewall, Client Services Director, Eigen Fabrikaat: “Rather than take the perspective of the customer, we wanted to show what life was like for the real victim of unsafe payments – the delivery box itself. To do this, we created Mr. Box, the animated star of the campaign, who knows like no other just how painful things can be when things go wrong.“

Vincent Lammers, Design and Animation Director at The Ambassadors says: “Our starting point was simple, if the delivery box could choose his payment method he would go for credit card every time.

“In order to bring this message to life, we wanted to build a sense of realism and create a trustworthy spokesperson for the brand. So, instead of turning him into a cartoon, we humanized the typical traits already present on a delivery box – such turning the finger holes into eyes.

“In practice this meant ordering products from lots of different companies then playing around with the boxes, throwing them about and denting them, to see how they looked and moved.  

At the start of July, an integrated PR campaign will kick off within the Benelux region, with Het PR bureau responsible for strategy, planning and implementation and OMD managing media planning, buying and strategy.

Making of Mr. Box

Credits

Creation: Peter Scholtens & Sikko Gerkema

Design: Laura den Otter

Strategy: Gerrit Winkel

Business director: Rik Vandewall

Project manager: Madelon Westerbeek

RTV Producer: Vanessa Janssen

Production: The Ambassadors Design & Animation

Director: Vincent Lammers

Producer: Daphne Litjens

Sound design and music: The Ambassadors Sound

Digital design and development: Build in Amsterdam

Client: Frederike Versloot, Margot Klinkenberg, Tanja Haan