Schwab Announces Ad Campaign to Raise RIA Awareness Among Affluent Investors
Multi-media Campaign Gives Advisors New Tools to Use in Own Marketing.
In a move to help educate affluent investors about registered investment advisors (RIAs) and assist advisors in communicating about their industry, Schwab Advisor Services announced today the launch of “RIA Stands for You,” a multi-media campaign designed to define the independent RIA category. Schwab Advisor Services, a leading provider of custodial, operational and trading support for nearly 7,000 RIA firms, designed the campaign to be used by and shared among its advisor clients.
“We see the RIA as the best solution for affluent investors with complex needs looking for customized advice. Despite this, we often hear from advisors that prospects don’t understand the RIA category,” said Bernie Clark, executive vice president and head of Schwab Advisor Services. “This campaign focuses on the independent RIA as a provider of independent investment advice and personifies how many of these advisors stand up for their clients every day. We believe this campaign will help advisors bring the RIA model to life for their prospective clients and help them determine which model makes sense for their specific needs.”
The RIA Stands for You campaign officially launched on September 21, 2011 with digital banner ads on WSJ.com, Bloomberg.com, Forbes.com, Economist.com and TheAtlantic.com. A consumer-facing website (www.riastandsforyou.com) offers video vignettes on the potential benefits of using an independent RIA featuring advisors telling their story – in their own words – and highlighting their independence, their approach and their commitment to their clients. The website also features questions to ask when choosing an advisor. Advertising in a national print publication is planned for October.
Collateral pieces and a new toolkit on Schwab Advisor Center also support the campaign. The toolkit helps advisors use the campaign as part of their own marketing efforts, and is supported by an advisor webcast today, co-hosted by Head of Schwab Institutional Services, Jim McCool and Head of Advisor Services, Bernie Clark.
“As the largest custodian, we are uniquely positioned to drive awareness of the RIA industry,” continued Clark. “By supporting advisors and providing them with resources to speak ‘as one,’ we are standing up for independent RIAs much in the way that they stand up for their clients every day.”
The campaign concept was initiated in the first quarter of the year and launched this month. Additional elements of the campaign will be made available through IMPACT® in November, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running annual gatherings of independent advisors, and into 2012.
About Charles Schwab
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 8.2 million client brokerage accounts, 1.44 million corporate retirement plan participants, 754,000 banking accounts, and $1.65 trillion in client assets as of June 30, 2011. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. Independent investment advisors are not owned, affiliated with or supervised by Schwab. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides banking and mortgage services and products. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com. (0911-6256)
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Contact:
Charles Schwab Anita Fox, 415-667-0181 anita.fox@schwab.com or Makovsky + Company Janet Yoo, 212-508-9606 jyoo@makovsky.com
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