Union Bank of California will become the official bank of Disneyland.
The agreement, signed Tuesday, allows the $32.3 billion-asset bank to use the Disneyland brand image in its marketing materials.
It also calls for the bank to install seven automated teller machines at the theme park in Anaheim, Calif., and to open one Disneyland branch catering to kids.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Disney brand will begin appearing in the bank's print and outdoor advertising in the third quarter, primarily in Southern California, according to Union Bank's director of marketing Nik Banerjee.
The ATMs are expected to be installed by May 1, and the branch will open within three months, bank executives said.
"We are going to make this a pretty integral part of our main marketing platform," said Mr. Banerjee, who is a senior vice president.
The agreement allows Union Bank to use Disneyland's castle logo and Disney characters in its promotions, but bars it from using Mickey Mouse, possibly the most famous Disney icon.
"This associates our bank with an organization that is a standard-bearer in terms of customer quality," Union Bank vice chairman Richard C. Hartnack said in an interview.
The bank will promote core banking products such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as consumer loans. Union Bank will not promote credit cards using the Disney name, because American Express already has a branding partnership with the company, Mr. Banerjee said.
Branding experts described partnering with the venerable Disney name as a coup for San Francisco-based Union Bank.
"If you were to name the five most influential brands that touch the family, Disney would be top of mind," said Brannon Cashion, a vice president with Charlotte, N.C.-based brand consultancy Addison Whitney. "That positive brand association will be transferred by default to Union Bank."
"The brand lift we are going to get from this association is incalculable," Mr. Banerjee said. "Compared to that lift, the investment we are making is not huge."
The branch dedicated to kids will promote the "junior bankers program," which Mr. Hartnack started in 1991 when he came to Union Bank from First Chicago Corp. It will offer free savings accounts and feature low counters, kid-size furniture, and perhaps even a board of directors consisting of children, Mr. Hartnack said.
"It's a good way to link fun and the positive aspects of saving," he said, "and we figure if you give anything to the kids, the parents are bound to follow."
