BOSTON FleetBoston Financial Corp. has paired All-Star shortstops Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra in television commercials for its Fleet online banking services that began airing last week.
In the ads, Mr. Jeter of the New York Yankees and Mr. Garciaparra of the rival Boston Red Sox use Fleets HomeLink and Office Link to pay bills, research bond funds, and manage their charitable foundations while exchanging barbs.
Fleet, which has a major presence in both New York and Boston, is an official sponsor of Major League Baseball and the exclusive bank sponsor of both the Red Sox and the Yankees.
In Boston, where Fleet has the dominant market share, the campaigns goal is to retain customers and expand their use of online technology, the company says. In New York, the aim is to attract new customers, Fleet says.
The campaign consists of three 30-second television spots and a 60-second spot that will run throughout Fleets retail area in the Northeast.
Fleet said it is signing up about 50,000 online customers a month and 33% of its retail customers have signed up for Internet banking.
