CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brand trust is the leading driver of mutual fund purchase consideration, and American Funds, Franklin Templeton and BlackRock are the brands advisors trust most. These and other findings are included in the 2015 Advisor Brandscape® report, released recently by Cogent Reports™, a division of Market Strategies International.
According to the report, across 10 leading brand attributes, the extent to which advisors trust an asset manager has the greatest impact on whether they will consider investing with that company in the future. Cogent Reports also found that the impact of trust exceeds that of more traditional purchase drivers such as perceptions of reliability, consistency of performance, or information and guidance.
“Trust is particularly important now, at a time when the product landscape is changing so quickly,” said Meredith Lloyd Rice, senior research director at Market Strategies and lead author of the report. “Whether it’s new product adoption, concentrating assets with a new set of managers, or expanding the use of solutions like model portfolios, trust becomes a huge factor.”
Top 10 Most Trusted Mutual Fund Companies
1. American Funds
2. Franklin Templeton
3. BlackRock Funds
4.
Vanguard
5. Fidelity Investments/Advisor Funds
6.
OppenheimerFunds
7. MFS Investment Management
8. T. Rowe Price
9.
First Eagle
10. DFA
Source: Market Strategies International. Cogent Reports™. Advisor Brandscape®, June 2015.
Across four of the five primary retail distribution channels, American Funds, Franklin Templeton and BlackRock are the most trusted brands. However, among RIAs only, American Funds remains in the top three, trailing Vanguard and DFA.
“It’s clear from these findings that even some of the biggest asset managers still have their work cut out for them in building greater trust among RIAs,” said Rice. “But with so much focus on this increasingly important channel, we expect nothing less than an all-out effort to win that trust.”
About the Advisor Brandscape® Report
Cogent Reports conducted an online survey with 1,390 financial advisors from January to March of 2015. In order to qualify, respondents were required to have an active book of business of at least $5 million and offer investment advice or planning services to individual investors on a fee or transactional basis. Cogent Reports set quota targets and weighted the data to be representative of the overall advisor universe using the Discovery Data Financial Services Industry database as a sample source. Market Strategies will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Market Strategies International
Market Strategies International is a market research consultancy with deep expertise in consumer/retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, technology and telecommunications. Market Strategies conducts qualitative and quantitative research in 75 countries, and its specialties include brand, communications, CX, product development, segmentation and syndicated. Its syndicated products, known as Cogent Reports, help clients understand the market environment, explore industry trends and monitor their brand and products within the competitive landscape. Founded in 1989, Market Strategies is one of the largest market research firms in the world, with offices in the US, Canada and China. Read Market Strategies’ blog at FreshMR, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
