Merrill to begin marketing blitz to plug advisers
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management last week kicked off a multimillion-dollar marketing and advertising campaign appearing everywhere from The…
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management last week kicked off a multimillion-dollar marketing and advertising campaign appearing everywhere from The New Yorker magazine to Yahoo Finance to ad spots at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
The theme of the campaign — “The Power of the Right Advisor” — was developed with the help of advertising firm Hill Holliday and could involve spending up to $20 million through the rest of the year.
It is intended to capitalize on an increased desire from investors for greater access to and service from their financial advisers, said Joan Khoury, head of marketing for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
MIND-SET SHIFT
“In the last couple of years, there's been a shift in the mind-set of people and how they want to engage with financial firms,” she said. “Investors are now looking for closer connectivity with their advisers. They want more dialogue, and they're looking for more content.”
The campaign is based on feedback from clients and advisers on the most important issues that investors face. The four major issues identified in the research were: retirement planning, liquidity, balancing life goals and risk.
The marketing blitz isn't just directed at potential clients and prospects but also at advisers themselves, Ms. Khoury said.
“We'll be doing a similar program for recruitment as we increase our advisory force,” she said.
The adviser part of the campaign will involve advertising and using recruitment tools on career-oriented websites such as CareerBuilder and LinkedIn and eventually using a Twitter handle to post job openings.
E-mail Andrew Osterland at [email protected].
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