iDEAL becomes Wero: ‘Sowieso’ campaign reassures consumers and retailers during landmark payment transition
For millions of Dutch people, iDEAL isn’t just a payment method – it’s just how things get done.
Paying friends for a restaurant bill, buying concert tickets, or settling invoices – it simply works, without thinking. Now, as the European Payments Initiative (EPI) transitions iDEAL to Wero, a campaign aimed at reassuring consumers that their trusted payment habit isn’t changing, just its name.
The challenge is uniquely Dutch: how do you migrate a service that almost the entire Dutch population uses and trusts? iDEAL has become so embedded in everyday life that most Dutch people no longer think about it. It’s the digital equivalent of riding a bike – effortless, reliable, deeply familiar. For EPI, maintaining that ease and trust during the transition to Wero is critical, not just for the Dutch market, but for the brand’s broader European rollout.
‘Sowieso’: Anchoring European ambition in local trust
To navigate this transition, EPI worked with DEPT® as the lead creative agency to develop a campaign that feels deeply rooted in Dutch culture. The creative platform, titled ‘Sowieso’, centres on a typically Dutch reflex – a word that expresses absolute certainty without hesitation. Can I trust it? Sowieso. Is it safe? Sowieso. Is it easy to use? Sowieso.
The strategy, developed by DEPT®, centred on ‘The Ease of Trust’ – moving beyond technical claims to focus on the feeling of certainty that comes from knowing a service so well that using it requires no thought at all.
When DEPT® won the competitive pitch in June 2025, it was clear that the iDEAL brand’s disappearance would raise questions. When faced with change, the average Dutch person tends to resist initially. The campaign addresses this head-on by giving Dutch people a voice – and with virtually the entire Dutch population using iDEAL, that meant resonating across all segments: conservative consumers wary of change and progressive early adopters, older generations and digital natives alike. By allowing people to ask their most pressing questions about the transition and answering each one with the same reassuring response, the campaign delivers a universal message. Everything will be fine with Wero. Sowieso.
“iDEAL has earned the trust of millions of Dutch people over many years, and that trust is something we’re determined to protect as we become Wero. This isn’t about reinventing the wheel – it’s about ensuring people understand that the service they rely on every day remains exactly that: reliable.
This transition needs to feel natural, not forced.
The ‘Sowieso’ campaign captures that perfectly, and it speaks to Dutch people in their own language, literally and culturally, introducing Wero as the European way to pay and opening the door to new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike.
”Daniel van Delft, CEO EPI Operations
“Dutch consumers are pragmatic. They don’t want ‘new’ – they want ease and payments they don’t have to worry about.
We had to take the decades of trust built by iDEAL and carry it forward. By anchoring a pan-European brand like Wero in the deeply Dutch, instinctive language of ‘Sowieso’, we’re creating that feeling of no-fuss reliability, even as the brand prepares for European expansion.
”Manuel Di Tolve, Creative Director, DEPT®
Local reliability in a globalised world
The campaign taps into a broader tension: in an era where American tech platforms dominate daily life, there’s a quiet desire for something that feels local and trustworthy. Rather than position Wero as something new to learn, the creative approach positions it as the continuation of what Dutch people already know – frictionless payments that are just… there.
For the campaign films, director Anna Maria van ‘t Hek of Pink Rabbit drew inspiration from renowned photographers who capture the everyday in unique ways, developing her own visual language that grounds the campaign in authentic Dutch life.
The 360-degree campaign runs across DOOH, digital, and social media, with media planning and buying led by Havas and PR led by Hibou. It focuses on driving awareness and usage, maintaining transaction levels, and cementing the Wero name with Dutch consumers as the brand continues its European rollout.
DEPT® began working with EPI in 2024, initially winning a brief for social and influencer campaigns in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Following a competitive pitch in June 2025, the agency expanded its partnership to lead the creative for the Dutch market transition campaign.
