• by February 10, 2009

Once upon a time, banks feared customers wearing ski masks. But in today's mobile phone age, at least one bank welcomes them.

"Bank in your ski mask without getting arrested," declare metal signs from Colorado-based FirstBank that have been placed at ski racks, snowboard racks and lift lines at the Breckenridge and Keystone winter sports resorts. In smaller print, the signs read "Mobile Banking. Bank Anywhere."

And if consumers can bank anywhere, why can't banks advertise to them anywhere?

Brian Jensen, vice president of marketing at FirstBank, said the goal is to reach the mobile-using youth market. Breckenridge and Keystone, which feature night skiing and big, "rad" terrain parks, are popular with young Denver skiers and snowboarders.

The ads, which will remain in place through the end of the season in April, were created by Boulder's TDA Advertising & Design.

The new ads follow FirstBank's expansion of its marketing to younger consumers last fall which has included TV, print and Internet advertising, as well as outdoor.

While signage at ski/snowboard racks and lift lines is not new, the medium is typically utilized by outdoor gear, food or beverage marketers, and TDA thinks this may be their first use by a bank. Teri Fildey, the agency's director of client service, noted that FirstBank is "currently opening more online accounts--which tend to go hand in hand with mobile users--than they are from any of their brick-and-mortar branches."

The mobile push seems to be working. In a year of industry consolidation and collapses, FirstBank actually grew 28% in 2008, and remains Colorado's second-largest bank in terms of deposits -- behind only Wells Fargo.