BayBanks Internet Site Is Aimed at Students

BayBanks Inc. has created an Internet site designed to attract business from college students.

The site on the World Wide Web annex of the global conglomeration of computer networks is one of the first banking sites on the Internet to target a specific customer segment.

Web sites are used mainly for marketing, and the Boston-based bank says the program will reach its audience because college students are among the most avid users of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

The Web site, named BayBank Hall, is part of the bank's "Student Rush" campaign, an eight-week drive to attract customers from over 60 college campuses.

BayBank Hall is "designed to bring students back repeatedly," said Robert P. Shay Jr., senior vice president at BayBank Systems Inc.

"Unlike many Web sites, this is not just an electronic brochure rack. We are taking advantage of the creative capabilities of the medium and the people who use it."

The Web site is styled like an on-line version of a typical New England college dormitory. There are interactive "dorm rooms," an information center, and a bulletin board for learning about the Web site, leaving messages, and entering promotional contests.

BayBank Hall also offers tips on responsible credit card use, locations of automated teller machines, and information about financial products designed for students.

Dorm-room sites also contain data on subjects apart from banking. For example, clicking the computer mouse on a poster in the dorm room gives the user information on local musicians and bands.

The BayBanks Internet address is http://www.BayBank.com.

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