Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. today unveiled a marketing campaign to reinforce its leadership in the Canadian market.

The campaign, primarily intended for a Canadian institutional audience, aims to reinforce Merrill Lynch’s 2001 record as the leading investment bank in the country and its bullishness about Canada.

The campaign highlights Merrill Lynch’s Canadian strength in investment banking, equity and debt sales and trading, and research. Initiated on the heels of the recent sale of Merrill Lynch Canada’s retail division, the campaign marks the start of a series of communications initiatives for the year.

“In spite of a difficult 2001 in the markets, Merrill Lynch sees great business opportunities in Canada now and in the future,” said Lynn Patterson, executive vice president and managing director, Debt Markets Group, Merrill Lynch Canada.

“We’re strongly positioned to meet the needs of our clients here. We want Canada’s business community to know that we value the confidence they’ve placed in us, and we intend to continue to earn the confidence of Canada’s leading institutions in the years ahead,” she added.

Tagged with the headline, “How did Merrill Lynch become Canada’s leading global investment bank?” the advertisement highlights Merrill Lynch’s corporate and institutional clients and its highly skilled Canadian team. The ad points out that Merrill Lynch acted on $48.9 billion in merger and acquisition transactions alone in 2001, outpacing the activity of all other investment banks in the country.

The advertisement will appear on January 17 in print and may be followed by future ads containing the same themes. The campaign also involves sending letters to CEOs at 1,000 of the top companies in Canada.