BOSTON, Mass., February 17, 2004 – Eastern Bank, a full-service commercial bank based in Boston, today announced the appointment of Mullen as its marketing and advertising partner.

 Using the tagline “This is our territory,” the Mullen team is developing a campaign that both underscores Eastern’s local roots in a market saturated by out-of-state and European banks, while promoting Eastern’s areas of expertise: commercial lending, investment management and retail banking.

The integrated campaign will launch within the next several weeks and will include television, print, radio, outdoor, direct mail and interactive efforts in the Greater Boston area.

“With the recent bank merger announcements, the consolidation and turmoil will give Eastern a unique opportunity to grow market share, while leaving us as the largest bank headquartered in Boston,” said Krista Lane, senior vice president for Marketing at Eastern.  “We selected Mullen for their skill in defining brand and communication strategies, developing motivating and differentiating positions, and their ability to build a client’s business.

“Greater Boston is our territory.  Small Business Banking is our territory, as are investment management, commercial lending and retail banking.  That’s the message we’re partnering with Mullen to deliver,” Lane said.

Eastern selected Mullen after a competitive review.

“Eastern Bank is well-positioned to take advantage of the recent spate of bank consolidations.  No other bank in the area has the same combination of size, expertise and resources that they do, and the fact that they can put it all to work in such a focused market area gives them a real competitive advantage and gives us a great story with which to work creatively.  We are thrilled to be partnering with Eastern Bank as they enter into this next stage of their development,” said Jim Hartrich, executive vice president of Mullen.

About Eastern Bank
Based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the largest independent, mutually owned commercial bank in New England.  With $4.7 billion in assets and 51 branches in Greater Boston, Eastern offers a full range of financial products for consumers, businesses, investors, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Its wholly owned subsidiaries are Eastern Insurance, one of New England’s largest insurers, and Fantini & Gorga/iCap Realty Advisors, a real estate advisory firm.  

For more information, contact: Joe Bartolotta, Public Relations Director, Eastern Bank,
(781) 596-4411, or e-mail Joe Bartolotta.