There are three facts that totally surprised me and should make you re-evaluate your 2024 plans: news overload is making people disengaged, asset managers are disappearing at a rapid pace, and information overload is making it increasingly difficult to cut through the noise. Against this backdrop, solution providers may soon find that their usual content no longer meets the mark. How do they unlock credible content? 

 

 

 

The Reuters Digital News Report 2023 reports that the percentage of UK individuals interested in the news has fallen from 70% in 2015 to 43% in 2023, representing a significant change in media consumption – and an increasingly global trend. Reuters warns that ‘interest in news continues to decline, fuelling disengagement and selective news avoidance’. 

 

This all suggests that institutional investors and retail clients are increasingly difficult to reach with content. The institutional asset owner industry is especially oversaturated with news sources, all vying for the attention of an extremely time-poor audience.  

 

 

 

 

According to Willis Towers Watson's Thinking Ahead Institute, nearly half of the 500 names that featured in its Pensions & Investments 500 list a decade ago were absent in 2021. Additionally, the PWC Global Asset Management and Wealth Survey 2023 predicts that one in six asset management firms will disappear over the next four years. Global AUM is now nearly 10% below the 2021 high, representing the greatest decline in a decade. 

 

This shows that the competitive pressures in institutional asset management will only increase. Given these challenges, many managers will be faced with an imperative to grow assets or go extinct, which adds further pressure considering many are already working to update product offerings and redefine USPs. 

 

 

 

Professor Pragya Agarwal’s recent book highlights that information overload is exhausting and confusing. Humans have a natural inclination to filter out the noise – our brains are designed to simplify and look for patterns. We only see parts of the world. We tend to notice things that are repeating. This creates a reduced stream of incoming information, which helps us connect dots and fill in gaps with stuff we already know. 

 

This suggests that it is getting harder for solution providers to compete and tell a compelling story. They will increasingly need to simplify and serialise their messaging if they want to be heard. 

 

 

Against the backdrop of an increasingly disengaged audience, growing competition and information overload, solution providers may find that their usual content no longer meets the mark. Quick polls miss an opportunity to fully engage with their audience, understand their needs and challenge their perceptions. A few key stats are hardly sufficient anymore – the gold dust that cuts through the noise often lies beyond the headline figures. 

 

Often, 'the owls are not what they seem' when it comes to working out the true challenges investors face. Credible content has longevity, improves brand reputation and drives qualifies leads. It supports your marketing, PR and sales strategy throughout the year – outperforming other content on a regular basis. 

 

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