Ok, then how SHOULD ING Direct be using the map? Well first off, it needs a few more people to sign on. The article notes some 15,000 people signed on in three weeks. That's not that many since the bank has 7.3 million customers in the U.S. but then the campaign doesn't seem to be focused on existing customers exclusively. Second, once the numbers are up (and the total number of signatures should be available on the site, it's not from what I found) it's time to take the map local. That is, offer a thematic map of numbers of signatures by state (currently there's only a map of the top 10) or better yet by percentage by state and start pitching the story to papers with state or broader coverage. Headlines might be: "255 in Connecticut Commit to Saving" or "More than 1000 in New Jersey Pledge to Save in 2009." The bank could also offer locals in the state who signed on to talk to reporters about their decision to commit and plans for the new year. As of now the map is but a curiosity of interest to geeky mapping blogs. ING could make it much more!

One more note to ING: there's no privacy policy on the site - just a note that when "signing the petition" you give the bank permission to post your name and state on the site. That doesn't seem like enough to me.

- Bank Systems and Technology