In our first edition of The Purple Report (published in late 2010), SwanDog identified those asset managers that, in our opinion, were doing the best job of meeting advisor needs through their marketing. That perspective was developed by examining firm’s marketing and communications and building a benchmark for time-to-market and delivery. Ultimately, that analysis fueled our “Advisor Marketing Responsiveness Rankings.”

Our decision to focus on these attributes was a direct reflection of what advisors told us they valued most from asset managers (beyond investment performance): timely and relevant in-depth perspective, and product support.

In our rapidly changing industry, where access to information is critical down to the split second—especially during times of extreme market volatility—we felt it necessary to broaden our evaluation criteria this year to include the on-line experience and social media. Of note, for those firms that offer their products through both advisors and direct to investors, our rankings solely focus and evaluate those efforts targeted to advisors.

The questions today for asset managers are:

• As an asset manager, how and where can I add the most value?
• How do I become or stay relevant?
• How can I most effectively reach the advisor?
• How do I grow repeat “marketing” purchasers?
• How important is on-line content and how best to deliver it?

Still want to review the 2010 Purple Report? Get it below: