WSR Announces The IMAGE 10: Top 10 Wealth Management Marketing & Communications Agencies
Marketing and communications firms and professionals often go unnoticed as they are, in essence, the messengers of modern industry. From envisioning a firm’s communications strategy to executing each email and press release, these professionals seek visibility for their clients rather than themselves.
The wealth management space would be a lesser version of itself if not for marketing and public relations (PR) professionals helping firms reach their audiences – especially advisors, executives and other professionals – with messaging and communications that clearly relate who they are and the role they play in the industry.
After reviewing the leading marketing and communications agencies active in the wealth management space, the WSR team narrowed the final list to 10 firms, some of which serve multiple industries while others operate as boutiques for wealth management. Due to the explosion of marketing and communications activity in wealth management over the past three decades, the founder of each of these firms is still active in the business.
Please join us in congratulating the IMAGE 10: Top 10 Wealth Management Marketing & Communications Agencies:
Founded in 2005 by CEO Bill Haynes, BackBay Communications is an independent, boutique public relations firm focused on multiple industries including fintech, asset management, ESG and impact investing, private equity and wealth management. The firm grew rapidly and internationally, now predominantly serving a North American and European clientele through offices in Boston and London.
The firm has 45 retainer clients with assets totaling over $3 trillion and boasts a retention rate of 90% for the last five years. In 2022, the firm increased its revenues by 29%.
A multiple wealth management PR award recipient, BackBay has been ranked as the top financial services PR firm in Boston for the past six years and a Top 10 PR firm in The Deal’s League Tables for firms announcing private equity transactions for the past 16 consecutive quarters.
Co-founded in 2012 by CEO Megan Carpenter, strategic growth marketing firm FiComm Partners focuses on guiding modern RIA and wealth management platforms forward by partnering with clients to drive growth through strategic marketing, advisor marketing, coaching and public relations.
Carpenter is the creator and evangelist for the “New Skool” mindset, which encourages advisors and industry professionals to be vulnerable and authentic in order to forge more meaningful human connections. This modern approach has attracted a team of professionals hailing from firms such as Goldman Sachs, BNY Mellon Pershing, John Hancock, United Capital and Mercer Advisors.
The firm has worked with over 250 clients, representing tens of thousands of advisors and the businesses that serve them.
As a woman-owned enterprise, FiComm emphasizes inclusivity and a flexible, judgment-free work environment that incorporates the needs of working parents.
With three decades of success under its belt, full-service PR agency Gregory FCA has been providing communications support to financial companies for over two decades. The firm has more than 115 full-time employees, with 50 focused on financial services, and is the 39th largest PR firm in the U.S. The firm provides social media, content marketing, investor relations, media relations and financial communications services both nationally and internationally.
The firm has received numerous accolades, including ETF PR Firm of the Year by ETF Express, O’Dwyer’s Top 40 PR Firms in the Country and the PRNEWS 2023 Agency Elite Top 100.
Edward Fernandez, President & CEO of 1031 Crowdfunding, said, “You guys are amazing, I just have to say I’m really happy with our relationship and you’re worth every penny.”
Launched almost 12 years ago by former LPL Financial Senior Vice President and Head of Public Relations Joseph Kuo, Haven Tower Group boasts a track record for significant year-over-year growth, combined with an annual client retention rate that has consistently stayed well above 80%.
The firm represents some of the most innovative and fast-growing firms across wealth management, wealthtech, insurance and asset management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Haven Tower also has a presence in Seattle, Chicago and New York City.
Haven Tower’s senior professionals routinely manage some of the most complex and high stakes engagements in the wealth management space.
This includes representing both Advisor Group and Ladenburg Thalmann in their 2020 merger; leading and executing communications strategy in the successful Chapter 11 reorganization of Cetera Financial Group; and serving as PR and communications agency of record for multiple major RIA and wealthtech M&A transactions.
The firm also works extensively in promoting the regulatory advocacy programs of the Financial Services Institute; industry-wide DEI campaigns for the Association of African American Financial Advisors; as well as brand elevation for firms driving cutting-edge trends in wealthtech, from artificial intelligence to data governance in wealth and asset management.
Haven Tower has won multiple awards over the years. These include a Silver Award in the PR & Communications Agency Category as part of the Merit Marketing and Communications Awards; MarTech Outlook’s Top 10 PR Agencies; and PR Campaign of the Year in the “Wealthies” WealthManagement Industry Awards.
“Haven Tower Group is the single most effective wealth management communications agency that I’ve worked with across multiple firms,” said Adam Malamed, CEO of Sancutary Wealth. “The tone is set at the top by Joe Kuo, their CEO, who has an amazing work ethic and goes out of his way to ensure his firm’s clients enjoy constant access to senior level professionals delivering an exceptional service experience and clear results that support broader growth goals.”
Malamed continued, “They have a uniquely high touch approach combined with a singular focus on the wealth management space. Their team members have been providing strategic PR and marketing communications solutions for many of the most high profile and complex engagements in the industry for years now. That’s why one of my first orders of business as CEO of Sanctuary Wealth was to bring Haven Tower aboard as our agency of record.”
Founded in 1993 by President and CEO Marie Swift, full-service PR and marketing service provider Impact Communications serves many RIAs with assets under management of over $1 billion, broker-dealers, fintech firms, OSJs, custodians, advisor associations and other firms in the wealth management space.
The firm significantly shapes the wealth management industry by working with influential clients such as the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), for which it produces the Marketing Playbook virtual training series; T3 Technology Tools for Today and its flagship conference, one of the premier wealthtech conferences in the industry; and managing the Social/Digital Hub experiential learning center at the annual Morningstar Investment Conference.
The firm was named a finalist for the last two years for the Wealth Management Industry Awards’ Digital Campaign of the Year category and in 2022 was named a finalist in the MMI-Barron’s Industry Awards category of Thought Leadership/Education.
Marie Swift and Vice President Jonny Swift are frequently featured as thought leaders both in industry-specific media and beyond and share best practices in their Swift Chats video and podcast series and SwiftCam conference video series.
Joel Bruckenstein, President of T3 Technology Tools for Today, said, “If you are looking for a good PR firm to get your FinServe or FinTech firm noticed, Impact Communications is excellent. Impact founder Marie Swift is highly respected for her PR and communications skills. A number of folks in the industry who I know and respect have made use of Impact’s services, and all have been very satisfied.”
In 2021, Kelly Waltrich took note of the struggles that firms across wealth management had in recognizing and capitalizing on marketing to positively impact their businesses. With Co-Founder Meghan Richter, she set out to transform marketing in financial services into the role of a strategic driver of growth, vision and revenue.
In the past two years, Intention.ly grew exponentially from its founding to serve over 40 clients across various business stages and spaces. The firm aims to combine strategy and tactics across digital, content, brand and event marketing to drive clients’ long-term success.
Last year, the firm acquired C-Suite Social Media and onboarded its CEO Tina Powell as Chief Growth Officer to bolster Intention.ly’s marketing capabilities with video, podcasting and influencer media.
Founded in 2003 by Jennifer Connelly, New York City-based communications agency JConnelly has grown to establish offices in Chicago, New Jersey, Washington, Las Vegas and Florida, as well as a recent international expansion to Barcelona, Spain. The firm provides services to clients across various sectors and industries including financial services, consumer packaged goods, health and wellness, entertainment and nonprofits, as well as a unit that tackles unique situations and complex issues.
The firm has been recognized by various organizations as one of the best places to work since 2011 and ranked among America’s Best PR Agencies in Forbes’ 2021 list.
“We are so grateful for the JConnelly relationship over the past three years. The relationship came at a crucial point in Steward Partners’ growth and evolution. During this time, we have seen increased media attention, higher website traffic on breaking news pages, and considerable interest in the Steward Partners story by reporters and broadcasting personalities,” said Gregory Banasz, CMO of Steward Partners Global Advisory.
Banasz added, “JConnelly has not only proven their worth to us but offered continuous education to our leadership team and financial advisors whenever needed. We would highly recommend their services to any RIA, wealth management firm, or financial advisor.”
Founded in 1990 by Managing Partner Jennifer Prosek, woman-owned business Prosek Partners has over 350 employees, serves clients with an aggregate of over $60 trillion in assets under management and grew at an average of 16% per year for the last three years. The firm specializes in providing a full range of communications solutions to financial and professional services companies.
With global revenue over $91 million in 2022, Prosek Partners serves clients through media relations, social and digital media, public affairs, financial communications, transaction services, crisis communications, thought leadership, investor relations, publishing and media training.
Prophecy by Prosek, the firms’ branded and integrated marketing arm, offers design, digital, advertising and brand strategy services.
The firm has been named as a Global and North America Corporate/Financial Agency of the year by PRovoke Media and among the top five global M&A and shareholder activism agencies.
Founded in 2008 by April Rudin against the backdrop of rapid change in the financial services industry and the Global Financial Crisis, The Rudin Group rose to prominence by advocating a new approach to marketing and communications that explores the convergence of Next Gen, technology and wealth management.
The firm built a global client roster of asset managers, banks, wealthtech companies, wealth management firms and fintech companies.
From its inception, The Rudin Group has differentiated itself with a mission to provide fully integrated marketing support, including messaging, content strategy and creation, and placement of earned and owned media.
CEO Rudin was named to the 2022 Women in Fintech Power List in the Marketers and Communicators category and serves as a judge for the FT-Wealthtech awards, Finovate Awards and Family Wealth Report/Wealth Briefing Awards.
The Rudin Group’s team includes veterans from wirehouse brokers, RIAs, IBDs and bank wealth managers, including Rob Farmer, previously Managing Director of External Communications for Charles Schwab and John Wilkens, previously Global Head of Content/Digital for JPMorgan Asset Management/Private Bank.
StreetCred stakes its reputation on the equation: “Financial services + credibility marketing = StreetCred.” Established in late 2020, the firm rapidly expanded its team and client base to include 18 communications experts and 35 financial thought leaders.
Led by Founding Partner Jason Lahita and veteran PR professional Jimmy Moock, the firm provides positioning and message development, proactive media outreach, media training, press release campaigns, byline article development and placement, social media services and regular campaign review and analysis.
Last year, StreetCred led communications efforts for Matt Middleton’s FutureProof, the world’s first wealth festival.
“StreetCred has been an incredible partner for the last few years as it relates to our overall growth strategy. Through their efforts we have significantly enhanced our brand and built a strong voice within the industry,” said Rob Sandrew, Chief Growth Officer of Integrated Partners.
Sandrew continued, “Thanks to StreetCred, we’ve established media relationships that put us front and center in a majority of discussions around organic and inorganic growth within the wealth management industry. Our growth trajectory has been accelerating rapidly in large part due to their efforts.”
Julius Buchanan, Editor in Chief at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jbuchanan@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
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