Ad campaigns are like political campaigns, in that they're less about the advertiser's core values and more about what people want to hear. At Bank of America (BAC), the marketing research showed that people wanted "clarity" in turbulent times. They were tired of big national stories about bank bailouts and instead wanted to better understand how they could get through these times.

So, the bank has responded with a new $40 million campaign that seeks a simple, direct message about how the bank can help people, via mobile alerts, its Power Rewards program, and debits cards and such, reports BrandWeek. It's a powerful concept--simplicity and straight talk can really sell. People will scoff and note the bank's lack of straight talk on fees and the Merrill Lynch deal, but we're likely to see a spate of such image work by other banks. Which is smart.

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