These are tough times for the mutual fund—from a pricing model that’s fast giving way to better, cheaper alternatives, uncompetitive taxation that continues to drive business elsewhere and a wobbly value proposition—active management—spurring a quest for more reliable performance outcomes.

Can the mutual fund be saved? SwanDog Strategic Marketing believes it’s not too late--if you act now.

Download How to Save the Mutual Fund (Before It’s Too Late), a free whitepaper that challenges convention and identifies the reasons you should be concerned. The whitepaper also includes steps you should be taking today to mitigate your exposure. 

For a fresh and lively perspective on how mutual fund companies, other investment managers and broker-dealers need to address this looming threat, simply complete the form below.

SwanDog Strategic Marketing unleashes the DailyDog(SM) for financial services marketers

Chicago, IL, January 23, 2009— SwanDog Strategic Marketing, LLC, a financial services marketing consulting boutique, today announced the launch of the DailyDogSM widget. The widget is a calendar-driven planning tool designed to help mutual fund and other investment product marketers keep on track. It’s believed to be the first marketing planning widget.

“Now more than ever, the investment industry needs its marketing leadership to step up,” said Dave Swanson, SwanDog’s managing principal and founder. “And yet, research we conducted last year [see the Beyond The Collateral research Web site at www.beyondthecollateral.com] revealed that strategic planning was not a strength. The widget is our way of helping marketers focus on what’s important—while having some fun with it.”

Marketers who download the widget from www.swandog.com to their desktop will receive daily planning notes in multiple categories (Plan, Budget, Build, Engage, Train, Analyze and Warning). In addition to setting their own alert time, users can set the breed of their Dog. Choices include Black Lab, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd and Dachshund.

The DailyDog(SM) is a collaboration of SwanDog friends. The widget was developed by 50,000feet, Inc., a Chicago-based strategic communications agency (www.50000feet.com).

“We believe the DailyDogSM offers just the right blend of inspiration and education to engage SwanDog’s core audience of financial services professionals,” said Chris Prescher, 50,000feet’s Interactive Strategy and Design Director.

Content is being continuously created by SwanDog and Rock The Boat Marketing, SwanDog’s digital strategy alliance partner (www.rocktheboatmarketing.com).

About SwanDog Strategic Marketing
Chicago-based SwanDog is a strategic consulting and marketing boutique founded by former investment industry executive Dave Swanson. SwanDog services include branding strategy and development, marketing program development, digital strategy consulting and analytics, content strategy consulting marketing organization audits and design, and training through its interactive Marketing Fuel program.

Don't miss the updated findings to the 2007 SwanDog Strategic Marketing/FRC Beyond The Collateral research, which we've published in a 10-minute video presentation on the Beyond The Collateral research Web site. Beyond The Collateral was one of the most comprehensive examinations of marketing ever undertaken in the intermediary-distributed financial space.

Among our October 2008 findings: Two-thirds of marketing executives told us that they expect 10%-20% budget cuts while one-third expect cuts to exceed 20%. As deep as even 10%-20% cuts can feel, we suspect that many chief marketing officers (CMOs) are underestimating the crisis' impact.

The survey also asked marketers how priorities were being reset in the current environment and how they were aligning with business goals. For insights into the adoption rate of digital media, see our partner Rock The Boat Marketing 's blog.

 The financial markets crisis calls for critical changes to be made in how investment products are marketed. We believe this environment offers an unprecedented opportunity for firms to distinguish themselves from the competition.

On October 20, 2008, we published The World Has Changed (Part 1), a whitepaper detailing five recommendations for how marketing organizations should respond to today's challenges and lead their firms onward. In the whitepaper Dave Swanson, SwanDog founder and managing principal, elaborates on the following:

1. The market's seismic volatility and rapid rate of change demands substantive improvement in marketing communication and response. In targeting financial advisors, this means adopting a "newsroom" approach to content development and delivery.

2. Investment managers need to take back the responsibility of communicating with the people whose money they invest. Having stepped back to avoid interfering with the financial advisor/client relationship, investment companies now must use frequency, education and transparency to re-open the dialogue.

3. Rework print and online messages, including imagery, to represent the empathy that today's markets call for. 

4. Among the casualties of the market decline is the traditional distribution channel approach to marketing investment products. How financial advisors conduct their business will be emphasized, not the brand of the brokerage they work for or clear through. Organizing for this will require planning and infrastructure-led by Marketing-to enable and support advisor segmentation.

5. Government actions seen as favoring the larger institutions and big financial brands will likely drive investors to these better known entities. For the marketer at a large firm, reflecting on the brand promise and measuring your delivery against that promise is essential to long-term success. Many smaller firms will prevail, but the ability to establish a competitive benefit through your brand will determine your firm's long-term survival.

To read more, please use the form below to download The World Has Changed (Part 1). This is the first in a continuing series we're planning on how The World Has Changed for investment management companies.