Branding raises assets. Here’s how.
“The investor will treat your brand like your brand treats the investor. If your brand has no personality and no warmth the investor will treat it likewise – with no loyalty and high-performance sensitivity”.
Article by The Hedge Fund Journal
There are very few articles that talk about branding in the investment management arena, especially the alternatives space. The link below highlights an article by The Hedge Fund Journal, written by Lucy Meiland and Nisrin Metcalfe-Zerekli.
Despite being a few years old, the message is still relevant today. More so among hedge fund start-ups or smaller investment managers. These shops have compelling performance numbers but have less knowledge of branding and its benefit.
Branding is a people thing
It’s not just about fonts, logos, colors. Branding wears a much wider hat than corporate visual identity. The brand is every experience to date: internal, external, rational or emotional.
Socialising Media
With the increased use of social media, podcasts and video conversations, branding is on the increase. And it’s personal.
This increase has brought accessibility. Experienced and emerging hedge fund managers talk about how they got started. They share their views about the industry today, and cover specific topics such as risk management. They also tell some memorable stories. For them and for us.
It’s personal to me
What comes across is the essence of the person. As a result, you hear their actual words, the way they rise to a point or laugh about an anecdote. In Managing Brand Equity, David Aaker writes that all commercial brands provide a functional and emotional benefit. The same is true of the finance industry. We rationalize but it’s all about the personal relationship when times are tough.
More to come
In the coming months, here is a Consideration List of topics. Please get in touch if you have a specific one you’d like us to discuss:
- evolving your messaging
- pitch books – above and below the surface
- visual identity
- storytelling
- communication skills a must-have
- regulatory changes and creating a process to edit content
- approval process management
- website design and evaluation
- the ambiguity of language
- Aristotle – the sum of all the parts