October 12, 2007 Chicago--Too many firms fail to plan, so SwanDog Strategic Marketing, LLC is offering a free download of its Financial Services Marketing Plan Template through Nov. 30, 2007 at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com .

“Over 35% of firms fail to develop a written marketing plan,” says Dave Swanson, Founder and Managing Principal of Swan Dog, citing research from a recent study co-authored with FRC (Financial Research Corporation) on financial services marketing.  “In fact, only a small percent of the plans we reviewed provided any strategic direction whatsoever.  Most were little more than a hyped-up tactical to-do list. I know marketers can do better – they just need the tools and guidance.”

The Marketing Plan template is an easily downloaded, Word document that takes you step-by-step through the planning and development process.  It is available at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com, a site SwanDog developed as a companion to the just released financial-services marketing study -- Beyond The Collateral – Unlocking Marketing’s Strategic Potential for Competitive Advantage.  Both the study and the website are designed to provide a comprehensive look at marketing in the financial services industry today, and provide direction and insight that empowers marketing in this industry to begin to take a more strategic leadership-role within their firms. 

“Business marketing usually takes the form of sales support”, says Swanson.  “But that’s not necessarily the role it should be playing. Marketing needs to earn the right to lead.”  SwanDog believes the first step to earning this leadership is to just start doing it, and the best way to begin is to develop and distribute a formal, strategic marketing plan that is: tied to the overall business strategies and objective, actionable, results focused, and designed to deliver measurable output. The Marketing Plan template they are offering is intended to provide the structure for just that.

About the Study
The comprehensive marketing study combines primary quantitative and qualitative research of senior executives, distribution and marketing heads with SwanDog’s experience. SwanDog principals average of over 20 years each as marketing practitioners in the financial industry.  In addition to exploring the current state of marketing and the prospects for its future, the study offers preliminary benchmarking of marketing compensation, budgets and organization structures as well as presenting a roadmap for bringing more strategic focus to firm’s marketing efforts.  More details regarding the study can also be found at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com or at www.frcnet.com   

About SwanDog Strategic Marketing
Chicago-based, SwanDog is a strategic consulting and marketing firm founded by investment industry executives. We partner with companies to develop their competitive advantage in the marketplace, by:

• Unlocking their marketing organization’s strategic potential
• Developing products and programs that their customers find meaningful
• Building sustainable differentiation through branding efforts

SwanDog exclusively serves the financial industry, with special expertise in business-to-business marketing.

About FRC
FRC assists financial services clients across product development, marketing and distribution and delivers positive, tangible bottom line results Only FRC can offer this through our unmatched industry expertise, service and support of experienced thought leaders and dedicated relationship managers who integrate all the unique forces of FRC to ensure your most important business goals are achieved. For twenty years, Financial Research Corporation (FRC) has been the leading provider of insightful research and strategic consulting services designed to assist marketing, product development, and strategic planning professionals in the creation of innovative products and services. Based in Boston, FRC is at the forefront of assisting its clients to comprehend and respond to the rapid changes occurring in the manufacture and distribution of investment products. More than simply supplying data, FRC provides actionable recommendations and delivers highly focused customized solutions that strengthen your competitive advantage and maximize growth. The combined power of FRC’s Data Services, Primary Source Market Research and Customized Client Support, we identify strategic opportunities, improve distribution effectiveness, and increase your profitability. Our more than 200 clients include the world's leading asset managers and distributors. Approximately 90% of the 50 largest fund groups utilize FRC research as a continual source of insight and strategy to guide their most critical overall product development, distribution, and marketing decisions.