European ESG advertising picks up again after Q3 dip

Asset managers dedicated 14% of their European advertising to ESG promotion, data by Fundamental Monitor shows

Key points:

• During Q4 2024, 14% of asset management advertising in Europe was promoting ESG, up from 8% a quarter earlier.
• At 62%, ESG brand campaigns accounted for the vast majority of all ESG advertising (up from 54% in Q3), while the share of ESG thought leadership increased from 21% in Q3 to 34% in Q4.
• Across Europe, the consumption of ESG content on asset managers’ websites was up by between 2% and 26%, depending on the week, compared to the 365-day rolling average.

Asset managers increased the share of European advertising dedicated to the promotion of ESG in Q4 2024, following a dip in Q3, according to data by Fundamental Monitor.

During Q4, 14% of asset management advertising in Europe was promoting ESG, up from 8% a quarter earlier. A total of 118 advertisers were in market in Q4, with 37 of them advertising responsible investing. These 37 asset managers dedicated 32% of their overall advertising to the promotion of ESG. This is also an increase compared to Q3, when the active ESG advertisers dedicated 12% of their overall advertising to the promotion of responsible investing.

Three asset managers (Eurazeo, CCLA and Ninety One) were only advertising their ESG capabilities last quarter. The highest number of ESG advertisers were present in the UK (17 advertisers), followed by Germany and Switzerland (14 advertisers each), but all European markets saw some ESG advertising activity.

At 62%, ESG brand campaigns accounted for the vast majority of all ESG advertising (up from 54% in Q3), while the share of ESG thought leadership increased from 21% in Q3 to 34% in Q4. ESG fund promotion saw a sharp drop to only 4% of overall ESG advertising, down from 24% in Q3.

Data by Alphix Solutions, Fundamental Group’s marketing technology business, showed that investors showed a greater interest in ESG content during Q4 compared to the rest of 2024. Across Europe, the consumption of ESG content on asset managers’ websites was up by between 2% and 26%, depending on the week, compared to the 365-day rolling average.

However, there were some significant differences between countries. In Benelux, ESG content consumption was only up for a total of two weeks, while during the rest of the quarter it was down by between 4% and 33%, depending on the week. This is in sharp contrast with UK investors’ ESG content consumption, which was above average throughout the whole quarter, at between 6% and 38% compared to the 365-day rolling average.

Content consumption trends in the rest of the countries were much less clear, with some weeks being below average and others above average. For example, French investors consumed more ESG content during the first half of Q4, with consumption up by between 0.26% and 79%, while consumption was down by between 21% and 55% for the rest of the quarter. In Italy it was the other way around, with ESG content consumption below average for the first half of the quarter and then mostly up for the second half.

Below are some examples of the type of ESG campaigns that were in market in Europe during Q4 2024:

Nordea Asset Management

Pictet Asset Management

Allianz Global Investors