BOSTON - FleetBoston Financial Corp. is launching an $18 million marketing campaign this week to promote its Fleet HomeLink online banking service.
The service is now available to online customers of the old Fleet Financial Group. Starting in September those of the old BankBoston Corp., which Fleet bought last October, will also be able to use it.
The ad campaign, which includes 30-second television spots, 60-second radio spots, and print and online ads, is beginning in metropolitan New York, central New Jersey, and Boston this week. The aim is to increase brand awareness, said Anne Finucane, executive vice president and director of marketing and corporate communications.
The ads, which were created by the Boston firm Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopolus, are meant to show that HomeLink can save time. A number of the ads have a baseball theme, tying into FleetBoston's sponsorship of Major League Baseball.
In September, when an upgrade has been completed, Fleet HomeLink will provide a three-month account history and mortgage balance information. Customers will be able to use it to view and pay bills online.
