Asset Management Marketing Focus #15

Kurtosys expresses their best wishes to all starting in their new positions.

Website Spotlight: AlphaClone

Encompassing smart subsidiary pages for their three products is the main site of fund manager AlphaClone, displaying the very best in text-and-image only simplicity.

The main page features a clean, non-convoluted colour scheme of blues, whites and greys, and features a large photographic image to precede the tidily laid out list of icons (to explain their investment strategy), product range, press releases and relevant insights from AlphaClone’s blog. We like that the call-to-action buttons simply open similar jargon-free lists of information to explain their approach: a transparent and simple strategy matching the user friendliness of this home page.

The site is not expansive, although that’s the reason for why it excels. Links to the AlphaClone Active Indexes, ETFs and Portfolios sites are centrally displayed and these sub-pages are similarly fluid and neat. The Indexes page, for instance, features the same bold image, call-to-action blocks and product range listed in an attractive fashion. The product pages feature interactive graphs covering performance and returns. The ETF site highlights a ‘snapshot’ view of AlphaClone’s two ETFs on offer and their separate fund pages list the abundant wealth of fund information and relevant documentation, which can be downloaded.

The site looks great on mobile, too, with its minimalist layout translating down to an even more linear format extremely well. The listing of all relevant information, and the trimming of any fat, displays AlphaClone’s site as an exemplary projection of the mantra “less is more”.

Fund in Focus: Candriam SRI Bond Global High Yield Fund

This week’s fund focus follows a fund launch following another fund launch. The alliteration was intentional there to highlight the fund flurry.

This week, specialist UK investment manager M&G announced its launch of the ESG Global High Yield fund, which Fund Strategy notes will use “a three-phase screening process to incorporate environmental, social and governance considerations.”

Candriam has followed suit immediately, akin to their belief that companies that have a regard for sustainable opportunities alongside their financial strategies will have a stronger possibility of generating high returns. A day later, they announced the launch of their SRI Bond Global High Yield Fund.

SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) funds intend to bring about financial returns whilst also benefitting social, ethical or “green” matters, and have been know to perform well in the past couple of years despite their status as niche investments. Candriam’s strategy will offer investors exposure to sustainable growth models. The fund is (for now) registered for marketing in the following countries: Luxembourg; France; Germany; Spain; Switzerland; the UK; and two World Cup staples that we were all surprised and sad to see not qualify time around: Italy and the Netherlands.

SRI accounts for more than 25% of total AUM for Candriam, according to Investment Week. We at AMMF are sure to see an influx of SRI fund launches in the current climate, particularly after this rapid back-to-back SRI burst.

Further information: Fund Strategy | Investment Week

MiFID II (and GDPR) News

Investment writing and communications agency Copylab have given a succinct and informative surmise of exactly how MiFID II will react fund marketers, in regards to outsourcing research, thought leadership articles and even the further need to also adhere to May 2018’s GDPR constrictions.
Taking guidance from such heads as Schroders’ Head of EMEA Marketing and Digital and BNY Mellon Asset Management’s Head of Product Marketing, there are certain restrictions that everyone in marketing roles for wealth managers need to be aware of. “Research” is hereby in inverted commas as its definition will need to be appropriately used, so as to avoid certain costs, as will the term “thought leadership”. Again, if such articles can alter investment behaviour, that therefore constitutes them as “research” rather than simple “marketing”.

There are plenty of terms that need careful consideration beyond pre-perceived meanings, but this article can certainly provide some timely advice.

On the subject of challenges to fund marketers, the dreaded General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ranks up there with the most difficult. This fact has been quite cleverly (and humorously) made comparable to the oncoming Winter from Game of Thrones by B2B telemarking specialist GCL Direct in this short brochure.

The whole “Data is the new oil” argument is a valuable reasoning for why compliance in relation to large amounts of data has to be addressed now. The way that personal information can be stored and used by businesses that reside in the EU are set for new implementations from the so-called White Walkers (“the GDPR bureaucrats”).
Essentially, the right to remove personal information from databases, as well as the right to receive certain information will now be fully in the hands of the “data subjects”, and failure to comply will encumber the fruitfulness of marketing campaigns and lead generation, plus the Night King’s greatest threat: a fine consisting of 4% of annual turnover, or €20 million, considering whichever is the highest. Ouch.

Whilst the comparison between GDPR and fictional Westeros’ upcoming battle with dead people and certain DOOM (stylised as such to fit in with either the 1993 video game or 90s rapper and lyrical maestro MF DOOM, we’re not sure which but fans nonetheless) is a tad excessive, but it still remains as big a matter for fund marketers. This short summary certainly outlines what’s about to happen, as well as how to prepare, so get ready.

Industry Insights

It’s all change. Not only in the case of regulatory matters, though, as this article courtesy of The Financial Brand outlines in the case of the banking industry. As we gets exceedingly close to year end, Forrester’s predictions for the sector’s challenges look extremely relevant for asset managers, too.

The most prevalent issues included here are:

• The increasing need to leverage digital technology, as well as leveraging the capabilities of APIs.
• Partnering with organisations outside of financial services to improve customer experience.
• Back-end processes for smoother processes and customer support will become paramount to improve business and increase engagement, whether that be human-facing or by digital means.
• Movement to mobile technology due to an influx of underserved users, which will bring the need for enhanced biometrics.

Those are but a few pointers to get you started, but author Jim Marous goes into further detail to outline exactly how disruptors are continuing to affect the day-to-day operations and processes of traditional financial institutions.

Events

FinTechStage  DECEMBER 12^TH 2017 | MADRID
In keeping with all things disruption, regulation, privacy issues, unbundling etc., sunny Madrid is the location for this year’s FinTechStage event. To gain an insight into how financial players can benefit from useful disruptors the world over in an open discussion format, there’s no place better to be to cram in valuable insights just before the Christmas; you may even find some time to visit el Mercado de Navidad de Plaza Mayor!

And finally…

…CityWire Wealth Manager have been unveiling their gargantuan Wealth Manager Top 100 2017 list, an end-of-year affair which is the ultimate treat for the asset management industry, and now in its sixth year. Looking at the top 100 fund buyers in the private client world, there are 24 new entrants to get to know. Check it out here.

Yet, if you want a more obscure look into the minds of these talented individuals, here are their 25 pet peeves. Some really go to town in an AM-specific sense: “The banning of sector average as a comparative for the absolute return sector.” Quite a specific bugbear, that. One of them just says “trains”, with many others really hating their daily commute and inconsiderate travellers on the Tube. I hear you. Travellers outside London, when you know, you unfortunately know.

That’s all for this week, but be sure to check back soon for more asset management marketing highlights and fintech snippets from Kurtosys.