ESG brand campaigns gain in popularity in Europe

ESG advertising as a share of total asset management advertising in Europe has remained stable, Fundamental Monitor finds

Key points:

• Brand campaigns made up 55% of all ESG advertising during Q2, compared to 35% in Q1
• The amount of ESG advertising as a share of total asset management advertising in Europe has remained stable in Q2
• With 50 asset managers promoting responsible investing, Q2 had more active ESG advertisers than Q1 (43 advertisers)

Asset managers have moved away from fund promotion towards brand campaigns to promote their ESG credentials in Europe, data by Fundamental Monitor shows.

Brand campaigns made up 55% of all ESG advertising during Q2, compared to 35% in Q1. The promotion of ESG insights also increased, from 13% in Q1 to 27% in Q2. On the other hand, the popularity of ESG fund promotion dropped significantly as only 18% of ESG advertising promoted specific products compared to 51% in Q1.

The amount of ESG advertising as a share of total asset management advertising in Europe has remained stable in Q2. During Q2, asset managers dedicated 17% of their overall advertising activity in Europe to ESG, compared to 18% a quarter earlier. When only taking into account the advertising activity of managers who were actively promoting ESG, we can see that 22% of their advertising was focused on ESG. This is a lot less than the 40% share seen in Q1.

With 50 asset managers promoting responsible investing, Q2 had more active ESG advertisers than Q1 (43 advertisers). Nine of them solely focused on ESG: Comgest, Eden Tree Investment Management, Generali Investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Impax Asset Management, Newton Investment Management, NN Investment Partners, Oddo Meriten Asset Management and Wellington Management.

A Europe-wide ESG campaign from Impax Asset Management meant that all countries monitored by Fundamental Monitor saw some ESG advertising during the quarter. At 26, the UK had the most ESG advertisers, followed by Switzerland (21), Italy (18) and Germany (16).

Below are some examples of the campaigns that were in market in Europe during Q2 2022:

Liontrust

Amundi Asset Management

Fidelity International