• The New York Times, Tuesday, February 20, 2007 11:45 AM

Bank of America will introduce a new branding effort and tagline during the Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday night, reflecting a retreat from the "Higher Standards" slogan that was introduced in February 2003.

While "Higher Standards" has been popular with consumers, it has registered even more with Bank of America workers. It quickly became a staple of product promotions, PowerPoint presentations and a rallying cry among employees.

While "Higher Standards" is not expected to entirely disappear from the bank's marketing efforts, the new campaign will reflect the sensibilities of its new chief marketer, Anne Finucane, and principal advertising agency, the Omnicom Group. The company spends heavily on marketing: about $600 million annually across all media over the last few years.

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