Art & Science Archive
Our Philosophy of Investment Marketing
Below is the text for the original Alpha Partners penguin brochure. This brochure was inspired by a review of 35 investment manager bullet presentations, 25 of which opened with essentially the same first page. The penguin brochure succinctly defines why investment firms tend to look alike and how they can differentiate themselves from competitors to win new business.
Most investment managers present their capabilities as a litany of common characteristics: a disciplined investment process, customized service, a superior grasp of the risk/return tradeoff, a global perspective…Most firms even open their presentations with the very same first page and the very same first bullet point: “Overview. Founded in… ”
The result? A relentless uniformity rivaled only in the natural world.
If Investment Firms Are Different on the Inside, Why Do They Often Look Exactly Alike on the Outside?
The Philosophy-Process-People-Performance formula fosters sameness.
Investment managers tend to overemphasize the moral of the story—the investment track record—at the expense of the story itself.
The elements of great storytelling are lacking: an arresting lead, passion, universal truth, a topic of immediate relevance to the audience and the satisfaction of a coherent plot unfolding.
Many investment managers mistakenly believe that vagueness is less risky. They steer clear of specificity—examples, stories, case studies, proof statements—when specificity is precisely what their audience craves.
Few investment marketing programs rest on the foundation of a comprehensive, objective answer to the question: How does the market view us relative to our competitors?
Alpha Partners Is an Investment Marketing Firm Specializing in Competitive Differentiation
We support new business development and client retention with distinctive, compelling marketing communications. We go beneath the surface and beyond the obvious. Beyond unsubstantiated statements to specific examples. Beyond the undifferentiated mass to the attributes that truly make our clients stand out relative to their competitors.
How Do We Stand Out?
A rigorous approach to defining substance combined with a genuine talent for storytelling. The capability to integrate seamlessly, in one coherent process, all our clients’ marketing needs: research, strategy, writing, design and production. Expertise in virtually every investment product area and market.
Some of the most successful, prestigious investment firms in the U.S. rely upon Alpha Partners as an extension of their internal marketing department. To find out how Alpha Partners can help your firm stand out relative to competitors, please contact Liz Hecht at 435.615.6862.