Asset managers are increasingly treating education not just as an add-on, but as a core part of their marketing strategy, using it to build trust, guide investors and explain complex products.
For institutional clients, education is closely tied to product marketing, panellists said. Louise Kriek, director of EMEA campaigns at BlackRock, explained: “It’s a way to talk about your products and their use cases. The education part is about why these products exist and how they solve client challenges. We’ve always created content around client insights, challenges and solutions.”
But education isn’t just for professionals. Retail investors, who often struggle with confidence and knowledge, are also actively seeking guidance.
“The biggest barriers for individual investors are lack of confidence and knowledge,” Kriek added. “They want education, and we put it absolutely at the centre of our strategy.”
Thought leadership plays a complementary role. James Redgrave, VP of global thought leadership and editorial at State Street, described it as primarily educational rather than promotional.
He said: “We provide informative content about markets and client priorities. It’s designed to show we understand our clients rather than sell products. Of course, we work alongside marketing teams, but our focus is education.”
Education also drives engagement with complex investment themes, such as the transition economy. Anya Thethy, associate director of intermediary marketing at Impax Asset Management, said: “It’s about explaining risk and growth repricing, linking macro trends – policy, technology, customer demand – to the investment case. Context is education, and that helps investors understand why and how they should act.”
Finally, format and timing are critical for reaching busy investors. Carl Hazeley, CEO of Finimize, emphasised that long, dense reports often fail to engage: “Investors aren’t going to read a 40-page white paper. Content that is timely, shares a clear framework, and meets people where they are works best.”
Across the discussion, one point was clear that education is no longer a peripheral activity. From building confidence among retail investors to demonstrating expertise to institutional clients, it is now a strategic tool at the heart of asset management marketing.