WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart is shelving its famous slogan of "always low prices" after 19 years and launching a new advertising campaign that plays up life's little pleasures over no-frills practicality.

The new motto — "Save Money. Live Better." — will show up on everything from store receipts to plastic bags. The accompanying 30-second TV spots were created by the Richmond, Va.-based Martin Agency, the firm behind the Geico gecko and caveman ads. The Wal-Mart ads began appearing yesterday.

Wal-Mart Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Quinn said the campaign is aimed at personalizing the chain's low prices. In the two kickoff ads, for example, the company's name is sidelined for scenes of vacationing families and father-and-son bonding while browsing for cars. The end of each commercial asserts that shopping at Wal-Mart saves families an average of $2,500 a year, making such experiences possible.

"People know they can save money by shopping at Wal-Mart," Quinn said. "The emotional connection ... was what those savings allowed them to do as a family."

Wal-Mart has been searching for ways to reposition itself to combat slowing sales growth as its stores saturate the nation. Its strategy had long been to open in small towns and suburbs much like the site of its headquarters, Bentonville, Ark. But with more than 3,300 U.S. stores that draw roughly 127 million shoppers each week, it is running out of room to grow.

Wal-Mart now is trying to persuade its more affluent customers to see it as a destination for more than toilet paper and laundry detergent. It hired music celebrities such as R&B girl group Destiny's Child and country crooner Garth Brooks to star in its holiday campaign two years ago. It ran ads in Vogue for its more fashionable clothing line, Metro 7. A campaign with the tagline "Look beyond the basics" was supposed to surprise shoppers with the range of products in its stores.

But the experiment backfired after an unhappy flirtation with an edgy New York advertising agency, which the company dropped in favor of the Martin Agency and its salt-of-the-earth sensibility.

Martin is the agency behind Geico's successful come-on line: "Fifteen minutes could save you 15 percent or more on your car insurance." In Wal-Mart's case, the agency latched on to a study by economic research firm Global Insight that found the retailer's low prices saved customers $287 billion last year — or $2,500 per household.

The agency crafted the two kickoff ads around that number. Each ends with the new slogan and a question, "Wal-Mart saves the average family $2,500 per year. What will you do with your savings?"