Published by Ian Lundahl on 14 Jul 2010
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.
Published by Ian Lundahl on 09 Apr 2010
A recent Ignites article suggests that one excellent cost saving opportunity being overlooked by annuity providers is the promotion of eDelivery to investors. This conclusion is based on the NewRiver survey, which polled over 500 variable annuity or variable universal life insurance policy owners, aged 45 or older. The article raises some excellent points as to the possible reasons for the lack of promotions, including the high degree of compliance regulation applicable to annuities that may impact the streamlined delivery of electronic documents.
However, after taking a closer look at our Annuity Monitor coverage firms, we found that 79% of the firms we track are currently promoting electronic delivery to their clients. Continue Reading »
Published by Ian Lundahl on 05 Feb 2010
January was an interesting month with firms wasting no time introducing new products and advertising campaigns. There was a new contest from Fidelity, new products from American Express and AXA Equitable, a new statement design from Vanguard and upcoming statement changes announced from Barclays and Discover.
Published by Michael Ellison on 28 Apr 2009
Walking to work this morning, I saw an ad for Fidelity, which read something like, “Jobs change. Dreams don’t. Take control over your 401(k).” That resonated with me in the same way recent Schwab ads do, which I discussed here.
Published by Ian Lundahl on 09 Apr 2009
This past month, the term “March Madness” could just as easily have described the frenzy of activity within the financial services industry as it does the annual NCAA college basketball tournament. New investment ideas, online resources and marketing efforts highlighted an especially busy March.
Published by David Rosenberg on 25 Mar 2009
In response to unprecedented rough-and-tumble market conditions, Fidelity recently launched a new GPS (Guide to Personal Savings) program to promote the firm’s guidance services, as we highlighted in our recent e-Monitor Update. This includes a series of free investment seminars around the country, as well as increased focus on “do-it-yourself” online guidance tools. The program stresses Fidelity’s ability to help investors through all life stages - from early savings to retirement and beyond. Continue Reading »
Published by Michael Ellison on 05 Mar 2009
Have you seen the latest TV ads from Schwab? While they are technically similar to their older ads (using Rotoscoping - the animation of live actors), the message is astoundingly different and have tapped into a feeling that most people have likely not felt in a while: control.
Published by Nicole Cappiccille on 21 Oct 2008
Following recent observations about how firms have been less than transparent about their financial stability on their websites and through other means, it seems that some companies are taking a different, more clear approach in reassuring potential clients. Instead of sugar-coating the state of their corporation’s health, some firms are now reassuring clients that their money is safe because their accounts are FDIC-insured – not because the firm is somehow “different from all the rest” that went down, as many have recently claimed.
While clients may still feel anxious and uncertain about the future home of their finances, the knowledge that their money is secure and won’t completely disappear with a firm if it collapses provides at least some comfort during financially unstable times. Continue Reading »
Published by David Rosenberg on 03 Oct 2008
This week, we couldn’t help but think of the famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” photgraph from the 1948 presidential election. For those of you that may not be familiar, the famous photo depicts President Harry Truman holding up a newspaper with the erroneous headline declaring Thomas Dewey’s victory, when Truman actually ended up winning the election over Dewey. The newspaper publisher badly jumped the gun there. It was actually Wachovia that reminded us this week of that moment.
