Asset managers increase ESG advertising in APAC

Almost three quarters of ESG advertising was focused on fund promotion during Q4, data by Fundamental Monitor found

Key points:

• The share of total asset management advertising dedicated to the promotion of ESG in the APAC region has increased from 4% in Q3 to 13% in Q4 2023.
• 12 out of 71 asset management advertisers engaged in some ESG promotion, dedicating 75% of their total advertising to the promotion of responsible investing.
• The ESG advertising in market during Q4 mainly consisted of fund promotion, accounting for 73% of all ESG advertising.

The share of total asset management advertising dedicated to the promotion of ESG in the APAC region increased from 4% in Q3 to 13% in Q4 2023, according to data from Fundamental Monitor.

In the last quarter of 2023, 12 out of 71 asset management advertisers engaged in some ESG promotion, with these 12 advertisers dedicated 75% of their total advertising to the promotion of responsible investing, up from 23% in Q3.

All markets in the APAC region monitored by Fundamental Monitor saw some ESG advertising activity during Q4, with the most advertisers active in Australia (7) and Taiwan (6), followed by Hong Kong and Singapore (5 each). There were two asset managers who solely focused on ESG advertising in that quarter: BNP Paribas Asset Management and Australian Ethical.

The ESG advertising in market during Q4 mainly consisted of fund promotion, accounting for 73% of all ESG advertising, up from 54% in Q3. ESG brand campaigns and thought leadership both saw a decrease during the last quarter of the year, with brand campaigns dropping from 36% to 22% and insights promotion falling from 10% to 6% of total ESG advertising.

Below are some examples of the type of ESG campaigns that were in market in the APAC region during Q4 2023:

Franklin Templeton

Fidelity International

Natixis Global Asset Management