WELLS FARGO BEGAN an innovative program March 1 that places advertisements at many of the San Francisco bank’s automatic teller machines in and around the Bay area.

Internet bookseller Amazon.com was the first to sign on at 340 of Wells Fargo’s 850 ATM centers.

In addition to promotions benefiting local nonprofit groups, another ad offers discounted ski lift tickets. Starting in April, AT&T will be touting its Worldnet service.

The bank learned through customer research that ATM advertising is “a way for us to add value for our customers,” says Barry McCarthy, Wells Fargo’s vice president of marketing and business development for express banking. “They tell us that ski lift tickets and other discounts at the ATM are valuable and something they’d like to seeexpanded. We’re offering the tickets to existing customers as one more great reason to bank at Wells Fargo.”

The ads pop up in such a way that they do not lengthen the transaction time. For example, as customers approach the ATM, an offer for discounted tickets flashes on the screen. They then have the option of choosing “ski lift tickets” from the menu screen before or after they do their banking. They can select a ski package at one of four Lake Tahoe resorts. Purchase confirmations print on the back of the banking transaction receipt.

Not Limited The service isn’t limited to Wells Fargo’s customers. “We hope, and have evidence to show, that non-Wells Fargo customers purchase tickets and consider becoming customers,” McCarthy says.

The Amazon.com ad pops up while the banking transaction is taking place. It offers a $10 discount toward the purchase of a book if the customer signs up for Wells Fargo’s free online banking service. The URL for Wells Fargo’s Web site (www.wellsfargo.com) is printed on the back of the receipt so the customer can register. A code is also printed to verify the Amazon discount.

A third ad, which appears on the “thank you” screen after the transaction is finished, features one of 22 area nonprofits to which the bank has donated money.

At press time, the bank had tallied only a few days’ worth of responses, and while specific numbers were not provided, McCarthy says: “The first couple of days look terrific, with more significant increases in signing up than we’ve ever had before.”

Wells Fargo, San Francisco, launched an innovative advertising program on Monday when it began featuring advertisements at many of the banks’ automatic teller machines in cities around the San Francisco Bay area.

The Internet bookseller Amazon.com is the first to advertise on 340 out of its 850 ATM centers. In addition to Amazon, the current ad series also includes two Wells Fargo promotional notices. AT&T is signed on as an advertiser this spring.

“As far as we know, we’re the first bank in the country to offer an integrated and targeted marketing concept to outside businesses through the ATM,” said Barry McCarthy, vice president of Express Banking at Wells Fargo, in a statement. The idea is to attract advertisers by offering them “100% of the customer’s attention and the ad is guaranteed to be seen,” said the statement.

“What we are trying to do is give our customers an added benefit,” spokesperson Lisa Rossi, told DIRECT Newsline.

The ads pop up in such a way that they do not lengthen the transaction time. For example, as the customer approaches an ATM, there is an offer for discounted ski-lift tickets for Lake Tahoe resorts present on the screen. Customers have the option of pressing an on-screen “Ski-Lift Tickets” on the screen before or after they do their banking business.

The Amazon ad comes up while the banking transaction is occurring. It offers a $10 discount on Amazon if the customer signs up for Wells Fargo’s online banking.

The third ad, which occurs on the “thank you” screen after the transaction is finished, features one of 22 area nonprofits to which the bank has donated money. At San Jose ATM’s, for example, customers see a notice that the San Jose Housing Development Corp. helps residents find low-income housing. The bank posts the ads at no cost to the nonprofits.

There are plans on tap to measure response rates to the ads as the program rolls out, said Rossi.