PARTNER CONTENT
RFB|Peaks Strategies, the specialised financial services division of integrated communications and consulting firm RF|Binder, delivers innovative solutions to clients across capital markets, financial technology, asset management and digital assets. Armel Leslie, Executive Managing Director, chats to Hedgeweek about some of the challenges and opportunities facing the firm’s hedge fund clients…
What are the greatest risks facing both your business and your clients at present?
Economic downturns and market uncertainty are always general risks across the board. However, certainly in the US, we have for now avoided moving into a recessionary environment and the economy remains resilient.
For our hedge fund clients, fee pressure and the active versus passive debate continues to pose a broad challenge. Those managers that deliver true alpha and diversification, especially in volatile markets, will continue to be in the mix for sophisticated and institutional investors.
Where do you see the most significant opportunities for growth in the coming year?
We continue to see growth in our integrated offerings that amplify content and cement traditional PR/media relations results.
Content is King and alternative asset managers are realising that, beyond performance, content-driven thought leadership is a crucial marketing and sales commodity as managers deliver a narrative regarding their investment strategy..
Given this trend, creating and curating content, and then amplifying that message through social channels, such as LinkedIn, as well as hyper targeted paid campaigns are becoming a more entrenched element of our remit for clients.
We have also seen a sharp uptick in the utilization of multimedia, such as video, as an effective tool to make complex topics more palatable to a larger audience, both via talking head portfolio manager interviews and animated videos and graphics that distil strategies and outlooks into bite-sized explainers.
Can you outline the most impactful drivers of client demand in the coming year?
The need for differentiation in a crowded marketplace is paramount to the success and asset gathering for any alternative asset manager. This will translate into increased demand for content marketing and thought leadership that in turn will drive an increase in owned and social channel engagement. It will also provide consistent ammunition for garnering earned media opportunities.
Another driver of client demand, and a rapidly growing aspect of our integrated offerings, is measurement and analysis , for both earned and paid campaigns. In an increasingly digitalised environment, we can tap into sophisticated software to demonstrate “ROI” on marketing communications and fine tune programming to match back to optimal results.
What opportunities do you see emerging for hedge fund firms in the near future?
First, the opportunity to utilise resources and IP to create a larger platform and brand than solely a manager of assets.
Hedge funds have a golden opportunity to add a thought leadership “think tank” element to their offering providing value to their clients, stakeholders, and the public that may not even directly allocate into their funds.
Some fund managers have already taken this step and others will follow using multimedia tools — such as video, podcasts, and other packaged content — to both reach their audience and build a presence with new audiences as investment options come further downstream.
Armel Leslie, Executive Managing Director, RFB|Peaks Strategies – Armel was a Partner at Peaks Strategies at the time of its acquisition by RF|Binder. He delivers integrated brand-building campaigns for clients across the capital markets ecosystem including asset management, professional services and financial technology. Armel started his career at Walek & Associates in 1999, rising to a Partner by the time of its sale to Peppercomm in 2013, where Armel was a Senior Director. Following his time at Peppercomm, Armel was a Senior Vice President at Sloane & Company before rejoining Tom Walek at Peaks Strategies. Armel graduated cum laude with a BA in History from Baruch College (CUNY), where he worked at the Press Office his senior year. . He is a Board Member and Treasurer of American Friends of Tikvot, a philanthropic organisation..
