With 2025 fast approaching, many asset management and financial services businesses will be considering strategies for the year ahead. One of the biggest challenges facing asset management firms over the last decade has been competition from fintech challengers. This competition shows no signs of letting up, with Boston Consulting Group forecasting fintech revenues to hit $1.5 trillion by the end of the decade.
Key to meeting this challenge for established asset management and finance businesses will be ensuring a consistent identity that keeps pace with digital competition while also successfully repositioning a business following a strategic merger or international expansion. For many firms, this will involve a rebrand.
In an industry like financial services where trust and customer buy-in is so critical, pivoting a business and its brand needs to be considered carefully. A rebrand is about more than just a new website and brand identity. It’s a crucial proposition that can make or break a firm.
So, what approach should asset management firms looking at a rebrand in 2025 take and how can they ensure a successful brand launch?
Between technology and tradition
Hoxton Capital last year rebranded as Hoxton Wealth. Outlining the thinking behind the rebrand, the team at Hoxton explained that the new brand aimed to “further develop its financial planning proposition at the intersection of technology and tradition”.
This speaks to one of the central challenges faced by asset management firms when it comes to rebranding. In a crowded market with an influx of digital competitors and where it can be difficult to communicate what differentiates a firm, how can a rebrand strike the right balance between standing out and winning new business, while also retaining existing clients?
This is a daunting task but, with fintech competition growing, every brand will need to cross this bridge at some point. Alongside Hoxton, this year has also seen a brand refresh from Coller Capital, and Nikko Asset Management has also announced a planned rebrand as Amova, as it targets further growth.
The rebrand, reconsidered
Anybody who’s been through a rebrand will know that it can take a great deal of time and resources to deliver. This is especially true for global businesses with multiple subsidiaries working hard to appeal across a wide range of markets, and often using a variety of brand templates.
There’s no short-cut to building a strong brand identity that will help asset management firms meet the digital challenge. Emerging technologies however can help teams streamline brand implementation and compliance.
This is vital to a successful rebrand project. Marketing managers around the world will know the frustration of launching a rebrand only to then see people across the business continuing to use the legacy brand. This is a problem that scales with the size of a business and risks a valuable new brand being damaged or diluted by inconsistency.
Automating content and template management and the distribution of new materials however can mitigate this risk. Automation means marketing managers no longer need to chase employees to ensure brand compliance. Employees meanwhile don’t have to spend hours searching for the latest template and updating documents.
Looking to 2025 and beyond, the asset management market will continue to face competition from fintechs and digital first brands. Alongside this, we are likely to see an uptick in M&A activity following several years of dampened economic activity.
Building powerful, consistent brands that speak to audiences both old and new is going to be key for asset management firms looking to navigate these challenges. While there’s no fast fix for an exceptional new brand, technology and automation can help to ensure a rebrand is efficient, consistent and fulfills its potential.
By Julien Villemonteix, CEO, UpSlide
