Investing in the Age of Digital & Social Content

Recap

The traditional FCS New York Breakfast made a triumphant post-pandemic return on May 23rd with a content-rich event called “Investing in the Age of Digital & Social Content.” An audience of 75 industry professionals filled the New York Yacht Club for a morning of research, discussion, and camaraderie.

Kicking off the content was Dan Connell, Managing Director at Coalition Greenwich, who presented the findings from a new research report conducted in partnership with LinkedIn. “Investing in the Digital Age” examined the social media usage among institutional investors with the goal of helping marketers better understand how to engage with this key audience. For example, the survey revealed that 90% of respondents had taken action at least monthly based on viewing asset manager content.

The full report is available for download here: “Investing in the Digital Age.”

To bring the report findings to life, Karin Levi, LinkedIn‘s Head of Financial Services Marketing, North America, moderated a panel discussion with Monique Le, Head of iShares Direct Investing and Marketing for the Americas, iShares; Blair Walker, Vice President, Marketing, State Street Global Advisors; and Jen Armstrong, Digital Campaign Manager, Vanguard.

Among the various topics covered by the panel was the significance of leveraging executive voices to build a brand. They emphasized that institutional investors place great importance on the quality of content and not only seek it from brands but also from a brand’s executive voices and thought leaders. The experts pointed out the direct impact of maintaining an active executive presence on social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn. They highlighted how executives use the platform not only to connect with peers but also to establish thought leadership and drive business growth. Citing the Edelman Trust Barometer Report, which revealed that over 80% of respondents are more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media, the panel emphasized that executive engagement leads to increased brand awareness and positively impacts talent acquisition.

The discussion also revolved around the preferences of institutional investors when it comes to the content they seek from asset managers. Karin Levi shared that research indicates investors are particularly interested in topics related to innovation, such as AI/Machine Learning, Blockchain, and the Metaverse. She highlighted the significant increase in engagement on LinkedIn regarding these topics, which witnessed a staggering 700% year-over-year growth. The panelists emphasized the importance of aligning content planning with audience preferences.

An intriguing insight from the research and backed by the panelists was that long-form content, video content, whitepapers, and reports are the preferred formats for institutional investors, highlighting the need to consider content formats and distribution strategies when targeting this audience on social media platforms.

Our thanks to LinkedIn, our exclusive programming partner for this breakfast.

FCS New York is excited to partner with LinkedIn to host our first in-person breakfast at the New York Yacht Club since February 2020. As a showcase for “Investing in the Digital Age,” a new research report produced through a partnership between Coalition Greenwich and LinkedIn, the event will also feature a panel discussion with marketers from iShares, SSGA and Vanguard.

With global research spanning seven key markets, the report looks at the role of social media for institutional investors and their information consumption habits. The findings detail investor behaviors both pre- and post-pandemics. For example, the report confirms how investors are spending more time on social media consuming long-form content and video, while seeking trusted, purpose-driven information from asset management brands.

The breakfast will open with a brief research presentation by Dan Connell, Managing Director, Coalition Greenwich, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Karin Levi, LinkedIn‘s Head of Financial Services Marketing, North America. Our panelists include:

Monique Le, Head of iShares Direct Investing and Marketing for the Americas, iShares
Blair Walker, Vice President, Marketing, State Street Global Advisors
Jen Armstrong, Digital Campaign Manager, Vanguard

Join us for this content-filled event, that will also provide opportunities to network with the FCS community before and after the program.

Start May 23, 2023 08:00 AM EDT

End May 23, 2023 09:45 AM EDT

Location New York Yacht Club 37 West 44th Street New York City

Speakers

Presenter Dan Connell

Managing Director

Daniel J. Connell oversees the Market Structure and Technology team. Prior to joining Coalition Greenwich he was the CEO at Correlix, Inc., a leading provider of real-time performance optimization technology. Formerly, Dan was the Executive Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s, and CEO of ComStock, Inc. He also served as the COO of Xinhua Finance […]

Panelist Monique Le

Head of iShares Direct Investing and Marketing for the Americas

Monique Le, Managing Director, is the Head of iShares Direct Investing and Marketing for the Americas. She also serves as the Global Co-Chair of the firm’s SOMOS Latinx Employee Network. In this role, she is responsible for shaping the strategy and execution of commercial priorities for the iShares business in one of the largest and […]

Monique Le, Managing Director, is the Head of iShares Direct Investing and Marketing for the Americas. She also serves as the Global Co-Chair of the firm’s SOMOS Latinx Employee Network.

In this role, she is responsible for shaping the strategy and execution of commercial priorities for the iShares business in one of the largest and fastest growing channels within US wealth. Anchored in servicing digital investment platforms (D2C brokerage platforms, Digital Wealth Managers including Robo-advisers, FinTech platforms including Neo banks as well as non-financial brands looking to launch investment products). Monique is responsible for strategic partnerships and scaled distribution to drive revenue and increase market share by positioning iShares as the ETF provider of choice with platforms and investors across regions.

In addition to leading the strategy and execution of the iShares Direct Investing business, Monique leads the iShares brand and marketing strategy across the US, Canada, and Latin America. She oversees the development and execution of client-driven marketing strategies that focus on growing client engagement through scaled and personalized distribution campaigns. These programs aim to drive brand awareness, business growth and revenue for key commercial priorities across client segments including Institutional Investors, Financial Advisors and End Investors.

Prior to leading iShares marketing across the Americas, Monique transformed the Latin American Marketing team into a modern marketing organization rooted in data and insights. In this role she was an integral part of the Citibanamex acquisition in Mexico where she helped assess the investment opportunity and identified synergies across the brands through enhanced data-sharing.

During her 15+ year tenure at BlackRock, Monique has led teams across global markets, client segments, and products solutions to build businesses centered around long-term growth opportunities. In addition to serving as the Global Co-Chair of the firm’s SOMOS Latinx Employee Network, she is a member of the Women’s Bond Club which aims to advance women in financial services and shape the future of the industry.

Monique earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and international business from Seton Hall University.

Monique is a long-time resident of Jersey City where she resides with her son and husband. She loves paintballing, enjoys cooking for family and friends and is an avid traveler.

Panelist Blair Walker

Head of U.S. Defined Contribution Marketing

Blair Walker is Vice President and head of SSGA’s US Defined Contribution marketing initiative. In her role, Blair leads the strategy and execution of SSGA’s marketing programs to build the SSGA brand with defined contribution plan sponsors, consultants and advisors, and win and retain new business for the DC franchise. Prior to joining SSGA, Blair […]

Panelist Jen Armstrong

Digital Campaign Manager

Jen Armstrong is a digital campaign manager within Vanguard Institutional Investor Group, which serves the investment needs of employers offering company-sponsored retirement plans, as well as organizations such as endowments and foundations. She has over 10 years of experience in various digital marketing roles in small businesses and multinational companies. She has her Master of […]

Moderator Karin Levi

Head of Global Financial Services Marketing

Karin is an accomplished marketing leader and Head of Financial Services Marketing at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. In her role, she leads the development and execution of marketing strategies aimed at building the LinkedIn value proposition for financial services marketers through thought leadership and compelling go-to-market activations. With her expertise as an executive strategist, industry thought […]