BofA to spend $10m for advertising Merrill Lynch, the brand remains

Bank of America unveiled its plans to launch a $10m print and online advertising campaign in the US this week, boosting its recently purchased Merrill Lynch division, which consists of global commercial, corporate and investment banking businesses, as well as capital markets operations. 

The ad campaign is to extend globally in July. Later this year, BofA intends to implement a print and TV campaign promoting Merrill’s “thundering herd” of financial advisers, under the corporate name Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. Signage for the “thundering herd” will continue to feature Merrill’s iconic symbol of the bull.

After BofA acquired Merrill Lynch last September, speculation arose as to whether the investment bank’s name would live on, or whether the Merrill brand would supplant BofA’s in some foreign markets where the US is not universally beloved. 

The ad campaign is to arrive at a time when president of BofA Merrill Lynch’s global banking and wealth management units Brian Moynihanis is settling into his job after several tumultuous months.