Are clichés in your company’s DNA?

  • David Butcher
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Do you like clichés? I do. They help cultural tribes stick together. They bind fashionistas or film buffs or football fans. They’re the soul of catchphrase comedy. But clichés can become a problem when companies explain what they do.  A dictionary will tell you a cliché is an overused phrase or opinion that betrays a…

In praise of brevity

  • David Butcher
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Ever wondered how long it takes to read something? If so, then this page is for you. This blog will take about 1 minute and 29 seconds of your time.  If not, please read on – because our 2020 Readability Report shows that most of the content published by investment management businesses is too long…

Stop blowing your own intellectual trumpet

  • David Butcher
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Guest blog by Holly Nardi, blogger at www.getwokenotbroke.com and associate, investment consulting, at one of the UK’s leading consultancies. You’re not your audience. And by pitching to yourself, you’re excluding a tonne of people that want to join the party but don’t feel welcome (or that don’t understand the directions on the invite!) Provided your…

How readable is investment content in 2020?

  • David Butcher
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Investment management businesses publish content and thought leadership materials to educate and inform clients, prospective clients and their advisers.  This is a broad audience – from consumers to financial professionals – but there’s a problem. In fact there are five.  1. It’s far too complex.  It has more in common with hard-to-understand academic papers and,…

communications and content - Readaibility Survey 2020

The 2020 Readability Report is now live

  • David Butcher
  • Communication, Marketing, PR
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We’ve just published this year’s survey of how easy to read investment content is. Some of it is a joy to read – much of it less so. Some is even more complex than the UK Internal Market Bill – the one that proposes to breach international law. Please get in touch to request your…

The two most powerful words in communications (part 2)

  • David Butcher
  • Business, Communication, Marketing, PR
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Here’s how you can use examples in your communications and how you can work with sceptical compliance colleagues.

The two most powerful words in communications (part 1)

  • David Butcher
  • Business, Communication, PR
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What are the two most powerful words in communications? I think they’re “for example”. And in this short video I explain why – and how best to use them. We hope you enjoy it.

Seven things to expect in asset management digital marketing

  • David Butcher
  • Communication, Marketing
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Digital marketing in asset management got a big promotion in lockdown. It’s become the most important cog in the marketing mix for many firms. But this could be just the start – with more creative activities and more humanisation in content and communications to come. In lockdown, many businesses managed to do more of what...

What have illiquid assets ever done for us?

  • David Butcher
  • Business, Communication, Marketing, PR
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Are illiquid assets the worst thing ever for savers? They stopped you getting your money out of the Neil Woodford fund and those property funds – because the manager can’t sell them, right? And aren’t some complicated new rules[1] making sure these things are handled correctly? Put like this, they sound pretty toxic. But context...

There are two types of smart people

  • David Butcher
  • Communication, Marketing
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There are two types of smart people: those who make you feel like the smartest person in the room - and those who let you know that they're the smartest person in the room. When companies communicate, it's the same. Which type is your company?