Embrace change. Challenge yesterday. Find your swagger.
Marketing is a competition for time and attention. Regardless of how badly you want to believe you are marketing to unfeeling institutions, in reality, you are marketing to the people that work within these organizations. Like you, they are busy with the stresses of life. To be heard and seen, you need to take some…
Build consensus around brand messaging: increase AUM
I have been keenly observing the marketing prowess of asset managers for some time now. Generally, I am watching what happens and thinking about ways managers can alter their approach to improve the results. One thing always stands out, the more aligned a team’s brand messaging, the more effective their marketing. In writing this, my…
Build brand equity in a tag line
When the words “Just Do It” were first written down, they meant nothing. Today, they are obviously extremely valuable. Tag lines like “Just Do It” are nothing more than the entry point to a given company’s story. We are of course borrowing the words made famous by Nike. Today there is immense depth behind this…
Why you need an origin story and the questions you need to answer to build a good one
Hey! You there! Yes, you – in the figure-hugging jumpsuit. Why are you hanging upside-down from that building? Radioactive spider, you say? Tell me more… Every superhero has an origin story – and you probably know lots of them. Whether it’s a poorly planned scientific experiment, a distinctly unethical military program, or being transformed from…
The single most important question to ask in asset management marketing
As time ticks on, fewer and fewer teams have had greater exposure to asset management marketing than ours. Based on subjectivity of marketing, it is very challenging to anchor to any given opinion or position. Unlike the absolute nature of math and finance, there is never a concrete answer. The best you can do is…
Decision making: Investment decisions aren’t based on what you do
My wife asked me to pick-up Diet Coke at the store for her the other day. Unfortunately for me, they were all out so I faced a pretty big dilemma when making a decision. Do I get her regular Coke or Diet Pepsi? Maybe Yoo-Hoo. I mean, who doesn’t like a fun surprise like that?…
The secret to avoiding the “bucket” (Part I)
“Everyone has a story. The question is – who composed your story – you or the market? – David Allison, Meyler Capital “Story” – or what we prefer to think of as “brand” – is not about what your company sells but what it believes. Or more accurately – what others believe your company believes….