Asset Management Marketing Focus #4

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

Website Spotlight: Blackstone

Continuing our search for stylish asset management websites, next up is that of global investment manager Blackstone.

Keeping true to the brand name, the site’s colour scheme relies heavily on sleek matt-black and white, with splashes of various, eye-catching shades used for links to the site’s sub-pages.

The drop-down mega-menu is simple, improving user experience, and the photogenic graphic of the London Eye matches the layout of the ‘Our Approach’ menu immediately below; this hemispherical design is consistent and renders perfectly for mobile.
The fund explorer page has bold calls-to-action, and fund information opens in a pop-up window so that there is no need to scroll through multiple pages. The investor documents are immediately downloadable in a PDF format, and are as clearly laid out as the many video ‘highlights’ and social media snippets that make up the rest of the homepage.

With advanced functionality and beautiful aesthetic, Blackstone’s website is certainly a successful asset management website; it gets the Kurtosys seal of approval!

Fund in Focus: VanEck Vectors Bitcoin Strategy ETF

After much speculation, one of the most exciting prospects for the fund space is the introduction of a Bitcoin-based ETF. Whilst not officially launched (yet), the legitimacy of this ETF’s introduction has gained more backing this past week.

New York-based asset management firm VanEck has filed for the launch of this crypto-centric fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which, if successful, would place it on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

The SEC has rejected Bitcoin ETFs before; the Winklesvoss Twins’ attempt to get theirs passed on the BATS exchange was unsuccessful, as was that filed by blockchain technology company SolidX. But, given Bitcoin’s further spike in popularity and price in the past month (nearly doubling to $4,277), perhaps this particular filing from a giant in the asset management industry may reap rewards.

An article by Business Insider gives a full rundown; in the ETF space, this could prove to be a pivotal moment in the future of funds.

Further information: EconoTimes | Barron’s

Insightful Industry Reports

The Financial Brand: 20 Visually Stunning Website Designs From Banks & Credit Unions
Following our own example of an aesthetically pleasing asset management website, financial marketing publication The Financial Brand presents a 20-strong list of similarly wonderful designs in the realm of banking.

As explained, within the financial industry, any website stuck in a 90s time-warp is now digitally ancient, uninspiring and – specifically if wanting to attract an investor’s attention – off-putting. User experience can be maximised tenfold (at least) with the roll-out of a brand new website, which could be the first (and lasting) impression for any internet visitor. Financial brand presentation is a dating game where you need to be a schmoozer.

In here are snapshots of each fin-site’s glorious graphics, giving inspiration for creating your own. Note their use of visually gratifying block shapes, limited use of text as opposed to photographs, SVGs and widgets, as well as the interesting designs highlighting the user login.

Here’s a useful one-stop shop for web design needs that is a bookmark for any financial marketer.

Scorpio Partnership Global Private Banking Benchmark 2017
As the 16^th edition of Scorpio’s Partnership Global Private Banking Benchmark, this annual series of reports since 2001 is a big success, and unsurprisingly a ubiquitous resource for those wanting to remain clued-up within the wealth industry.

It aims to provide analysis of KPIs based on results gained from studying over 200 private banks and subsidiaries, compiled by a team of consultants and analysts connected with the banking and wealth management sectors.

Whilst the complete report is up for purchase from Scorpio Partnership, the linked page contains insightful infographics contained within, including KPI figures relating to AUM and client engagement scores, an animated ranking of the top 25 institutions, and an attention-grabbing magenta table displaying these successful global firms, as shown below.

Crowd Valley’s Best Fintech Reports of 2017
Elsewhere in the financial world, the adoption of disruptive fintech companies is of concern to banking executives and asset managers who are constantly under pressure to deliver with innovative digital strategies. The state of fintech needs to be constantly assessed.

Luckily, Crowd Valley has put in the elbow grease to bring you a list of the of the most thorough and analytical fintech reports that define 2017’s role as a key springboard for advancement. Such topics include trends in banking, insights into developments in artificial intelligence and blockchain, insurtech and global Q2 deal reports.

The information comes courtesy of such financial services giants as Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, Capgemini, Accenture, Nordea and many more, so be prepared for full-scale research to satisfy your fintech needs, until the end of the year where we here at Kurtosys expect to see many more.

Social Media Masterclass: J.P. Morgan

This week’s social media-savvy financial institution in focus is J.P. Morgan.
The financial services company (as a whole) has a particularly phenomenal Instagram page. As we can see from August’s offerings, the company accentuates its global reach and commitment to global funding and innovation through use of attractive and striking photography from around the world. Success on Instagram relies heavily on picture quality; J.P. Morgan’s account is an exemplary use of the platform.

As for its subsidiary – J.P. Morgan Asset Management – their social media campaign aimed towards growing digitalisation in fund management is very much active on their Twitter account.

For instance, this post highlights a ‘roundtable’ discussion between advisors as to how communication is changing for them due to technology. The group use a worthwhile #LetsTalk hashtag to accompany the campaign, and one notable feature is the use of subtitles so that the video works well with or without sound.

How has communication shifted for financial advisors with the rise of technology? https://t.co/UdKWWRVdiA #LetsTalk pic.twitter.com/xRo8UNGlUM

— J.P. Morgan Funds (@jpmorganfunds) August 10, 2017

To further this use of soundless videos (a popular trend on social media), the individual advisors in this video also appear in separate Tweets, this time featuring as GIFs with subtitles. Such topics include how advisors target millennials.

How are financial advisors using technology to reach millennials? We discuss in our #LetsTalk series: https://t.co/AbwY0BE91l pic.twitter.com/GNu63zrLLV

— J.P. Morgan Funds (@jpmorganfunds) August 11, 2017

Unsurprisingly, the #LetsTalk campaign is perpetuated on the account using a ‘Pinned Tweet’ linked with the ‘Let’s Talk’-themed page on their website, featuring the whole half-hour video of the discussion.

Let’s Talk: The Changing Face of Advice. Find out how 2 top advisors are solving for 7 key challenges: https://t.co/d8AtepGnXV #LetsTalk pic.twitter.com/a3P4VYueiR

— J.P. Morgan Funds (@jpmorganfunds) July 25, 2017

Check out these two accounts to see great examples of marketing from fund managers.

Upcoming Events

Investment Week Conference  SEPTEMBER 7^th – 8^th | 2017 SURREY, UK

With August’s end in sight, it is time to look towards the autumn/fall for industry events. In the first week of September, Investment Week is holding a conference at Pennyhill Park Hotel in leafy Surrey, UK, to create a space for a small group of asset managers and fund buyers to meet and discuss investment strategy and new solutions for clients.

This conference is exclusive and visitors must be invited upon request – the appropriate contact is available on the event’s landing page.

And finally…

…A renegade article from Wealth Management which follows on from the ETF hype we highlighted earlier.

This slideshow-themed article acts as a ‘best funds of the year (so far)’ article with a humorous twist, these being the strange ETFs that are finding their niche in a saturated market.

Such highlights include the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (albeit capitalising on an ever-growing $50 billion legalised cannabis industry), Spirited Funds (booze, with net assets of $4 million), and the Quincy Jones Streaming Music, Media and Entertainment ETF. That’s right: a Quincy Jones ETF. It’s all here, folks – the fund industry is full of surprises.

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