Published by Ian Lundahl on 14 Jul 2010 at 02:51 pm
Modified Rewards Programs and New Marketing Campaigns Mark the Start of Summer
Summer is finally here, and credit card firms have added some new rewards programs to help defray the flight costs of summer travel. New retirement themed marketing campaigns were also introduced this June, and Merrill Lynch introduced a new site (Merrill Edge) with a focus on self-directed investing.
Summer Getaways
There is good news for Wells Fargo clients who are planning on using rewards points towards a summer vacation trip. The firm now allows clients to combine their credit and debit rewards accounts, allowing them to accumulate rewards points faster. American Express, Chase and Citibank offer similar linked rewards programs. American Express has more benefits in store for those taking flights this summer. As of June 1, 2010, the firm’s Platinum and Reserve Delta SkyMiles credit card holders can check one bag for free on every Delta round-trip flight.
Looking for an Edge
This month, Merrill Lynch launched Merrill Edge, a new brokerage site that is essentially a re-branding of Merrill’s previous service plan site. The new site reflects the ongoing consolidation with Bank of America’s brokerage platforms. Merrill Edge signifies focuses on self-directed investing and provides access to resources from both Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. In addition to launching Merrill Edge, the firm updated its public and private sites and now offers a modified pricing scheme for brokerage clients. Online stock and ETD trades now range from $4.95-$8.95, as opposed to the previous $14 commission.
New Annuity Marketing Campaigns
Three firms in our Annuity Monitor coverage group added new retirement-focused marketing campaigns in June. Jackson National released a new public and advisor marketing campaign based off of the book Retirementology, which emphasizes an individual psychological approach to retirement planning. Lincoln Financial Group unveiled a microsite called My Confident Future, which is an extension of the firm’s Futureself marketing campaign. Finally, Twitter has a rather large new contributor in the financial arena, as AXA Equitable’s 800 lb. Gorilla now has an account.
In other news…
• Transamerica released a new annuity-specific website, Transamericaannuities.com, and ING introduced two new fixed index annuity products.
• Earlier this month, Zecco released Zap Trade, a unique online tool that allows clients to place stock and ETF trades on their private Zecco accounts, while simultaneously viewing investment research from other sites, including several firms in our e-Monitor coverage group. Zap Trade is only compatible with the Firefox browser at the moment.
• As a resolution to the devastating Gulf Coast oil spill is still being sought, Capital One is providing cardholders the opportunity to donate to the Gulf Coast Spill Recovery Fund on its No Hassle Giving Site.
