Oct 18, 2010
With investors still worried about the state of the economy and fairness of markets, fund companies have redirected much of their public relations efforts at stressing the benefits of long-term investing, showcasing the expert opinions of their investment managers and stripping the varnish off spin.
"There is more interest and requests for our investment managers as thought leaders," said Andrew Schlossberg, chief marketing officer of Invesco and head of Invesco PowerShares. Topics of particular interest include international opportunities, fixed-income products and dividends, he said.
Fund companies also are slowing moving away from focusing on guarantees and capital preservation-such as absolute-return, stable-value and fixed income funds-to more opportunistic positioning of their portfolios, capital appreciation and income, added Joseph Anthony, SVP at Gregory FCA Communications.
Proof of the growing thirst for investment expertise came recently when Invesco opened its Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 client investment symposium in New York to the media. Both CNBC and Fox Business broadcast its investment professionals live. Appearing at the meeting were more than 100 Invesco analysts, 50 fund managers, the firm's three domestic equity chief investment officers, who run $265 billion in assets under management, and the chief investment officer of Invesco's wealth management business.
Likewise, J.P. Morgan Funds earlier this month began showcasing audio and video recordings of its investment professionals' insights in a new section on its website it is promoting as J.P. Morgan On Demand.
Available to both financial advisers and individual investors, the satellite section of the firm's homepage houses a wide range of insights. One notable recent posting is of J.P. Morgan Chief Market Strategist David Kelly on why he believes deflation is a more likely scenario than inflation. Another features J.P. Morgan Global Macro Group Portfolio Manager Mark Nodelman on why investors should consider commodities.
The videos and audiotapes are organized by themes and products and can be readily shared with colleagues and clients.
Dan Sondhelm, a partner and vice president with SunStar Strategic, a financial services public relations boutique agency, confirms that leading asset management firms are stressing a measured approach and loading more content onto their websites.
"They are stressing experience, thinking long term and also telling their story of the disciplined and repeatable investment process," Sondhelm said.
Fund companies are definitely more diligent about keeping their websites up-to-date with timely commentaries and news coverage, Sondhelm said.
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