Banker to the Queen of England Coutts & Co says it is to advertise for the first time in its 309-year history.
Coutts, which once held the accounts of Charles Dickens and Lord Byron, insisted it was not moving downmarket, saying even the rich and famous feel the pinch of global recession.
Customers are required to hold disposable funds of £500,000 sterling to open an account. "We really believe our clients are not going to think this is going downmarket," said spokeswoman Ms Julie Cooper. "It is targeting key publications".
The advertising campaign, to start next Tuesday, will appear in a selection of upmarket magazines and newspapers including the Financial Times, Harpers & Queenand Country Life.
The adverts will expound the virtues of the private bank's investment management approach.
Some are concerned the more populist approach could upset some investors.
"I hope our clients won't choke on their cornflakes," Coutts chief executive Mr Andrew Fisher told the Daily Telegraph. "If we were simply saying anybody can join Coutts, they would be quite rightly shocked".
Coutts, which is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, has £35 billion in total client assets under management.