Many fund managers view branding as a one-off task rather than an ongoing responsibility. A company logo gets designed, business cards get printed, and suddenly five or ten years have passed without revisiting your firm’s visual identity. But here’s the catch: while your fund has naturally evolved and navigated through the various headwinds of the 2020s, your brand may have been left behind.
Not every hedge fund brand requires a complete brand overhaul. It’s important to stay true to your firm’s philosophy and brand voice, which is often already embedded in your fund’s marketing strategy. Sometimes a strategic brand refresh is all you need.
What is a brand refresh, and how does it differ from a wider rebrand?
Unlike a rebrand, a brand refresh involves simple updates to a brand’s visual identity. Often, this involves modernising the overall look of the brand while remaining true to a firm’s core identity. In the context of a hedge fund-specific brand, this could involve updating key colours, typography, or even refining branded materials in use like pitch decks, presentations, one-pagers – the list goes on.
Unlike consumer brands that must regularly refresh their brands to stay relevant, many hedge funds do not actively invest in their own brand. This mindset can be costly. Alongside investing in a comprehensive fund marketing solution to maximise your operational capabilities, hedge funds should maintain a consistent and up-to-date brand. A modern hedge fund brand doesn’t need to compromise operational privacy, but it should communicate clear differentiation to prospective investors and anyone else who may be searching your firm online.
Explore our top five signs that your hedge fund brand may need a refresh:
- Your brand predates your current strategy
Your brand should reinforce your current strategy. Take a look at when your brand was last updated versus when you may have pivoted your investment approach. If you’ve shifted from long-only equity to multi-strategy or expanded into new asset classes, your visual identity should reflect that evolution. A brand created for an older version of your fund sends mixed signals.
- Investor feedback signifies materials are “outdated”
Pay attention to the language and themes investors use when describing your materials. Comments like “traditional” or “old-school” might not be limited to your investment process, but reflect their perception of your brand presentation and visual cues – like an outdated logo. While these qualities can be expertly branded, you must ensure that your materials are not being perceived as dated.
- New hires question your visual identity
Fresh talent brings fresh perspectives. When new team members (especially those who have come over from competitor firms) consistently ask about updating marketing materials or suggest brand improvements, this is a key identifier that your brand needs looking into. These comments and observations often derive from seeing how other funds present themselves. If multiple new hires flag similar branding concerns, it’s a strong indicator that your visual identity isn’t keeping up to pace with industry standards.
- Your team avoids using branded materials
Perhaps one of the most telling signs of an inefficient brand is when your own team circumvents branded templates, or are often guilty of tweaking branded materials. If team members consistently create materials from scratch rather than using templates, or if they apologise for the appearance of official materials, your brand has become more of a liability than an asset.
- Competitors look more modern
While modern does not necessarily equate to better, it’s important to look at your competitors’ brands and evaluate how your brand holds within your wider competitive landscape. If your brand looks like it belongs in a different decade, you’re fighting an uphill battle before you even present your strategy.
The Edgefolio take
Future steps should involve conducting a comprehensive brand audit. Map out all of your branded materials in use, such as your website, pitch decks, factsheets, and email templates, and evaluate them against these five signs. Ask trusted advisors or even recent hires for candid feedback about your brand presentation.
Finally, investing in a comprehensive fund marketing solution – combining an investor portal, CRM, email marketing, and data room – is a powerful way to reinforce your brand, showcase your content, and communicate your value proposition. If you’d like to learn more about our Edgefolio for Managers solution and how it can elevate your brand, get in touch with us.
Are you curious to learn more about branding and re-branding within the hedge fund industry? Check out our latest white paper, “Rebranding for hedge funds: when and why?”.