Asset managers have increasingly turned to marketing materials, including market commentary and insights, thought leadership and other kinds of original content in order to differentiate themselves from increasing competition.
Quality market insights and investor-oriented content can be crucial in securing mandates from institutional investors, new research found. In a report from CoreData Research, The Power of Thought Leadership, 59% of institutional investor respondents to CoreData’s survey said their likelihood of investing with one manager over another was directly influenced by the managers’ market commentary and other thought leadership.
Specifically, more than half of respondents (56%) said they looked back at past research to see which asset managers were most accurate in their insights and predictions.
The report found that 99% of institutional investors said content from asset managers influenced their investment decision-making, with 48% of respondents saying it has challenged their thinking on strategic asset allocation and portfolio construction.
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Approximately 49% of respondents said thought leadership validated the expertise of a manager; 82% said such content also helped drive engagement with managers.
The report noted that the link “between thought leadership quality and brand strength holds up, even among those institutions who see insights as less influential on manager selection, suggesting a strong subconscious impact.”
“Thought leadership is indeed a core part of the asset manager evaluation process, exerting even more influence than many realize,” said Michael Morley, head of CoreData Research U.S., in a statement. “The challenge is producing content that drives behavior. Finding that sweet spot is crucial for resource allocation, especially as asset managers continue to see their margins squeezed.”
Additionally, the survey found that 70% of respondents agreed that in order to “own” a particular theme or asset class, managers must deliver quality thought leadership along with strong returns. Approximately 54% of respondents said thought leadership increases confidence in the investment philosophy and process of a firm and 49% said it validates manager experience.
“The findings help to answer a key question: Is thought leadership worth the investment of time and energy given the reams of content in the asset management space? Yes, if done right,” the report stated.
What do Institutional Investors Want to See?
According to CoreData, institutional investors want actionable, relevant insights that can help them stay ahead of the curve.
“Managers risk cheapening their brand for clicks if they are deliberately contrarian or publishing just for the sake of it,” Morley said in a statement. “Getting predictions wrong, publishing ‘me too’ content that doesn’t add anything new to the discourse, failing to provide clear evidence or actionable investment implications is where thought leadership often goes astray.”
The most in-demand content topics from investors included geopolitics; macroeconomics; environmental, social and governance topics; sustainability; strategy and asset allocation; artificial intelligence and other technology; and thematic, long-term and short-term trends.
Unique ideas were the most-cited factor (81%) for building thought leadership brand equity, according to CoreData. Only 42% of respondents said commentators needed to be provocative or contrarian to stand out.
What factors are important in establishing a position as a thought leader? The five most important, according to CoreData, were:
- Differentiated, unique ideas and perspectives (81%);
- Innovation in investment strategy (72%);
- Insights from client-facing staff, access to experts or senior leaders who are industry authorities (69%);
- Big idea whitepapers, market commentary, technical investment research (68%); and
- Innovation in new products and services (58%).
“In our world, it’s a zero-sum game. Every time my portfolio is making money, someone else is losing… it’s the ideas that win you the day long term. I need someone who can bring interesting ideas and challenge our thinking because to us, that’s the best way to deliver long term returns,” one U.S. pension CIO said in the report.
Methodology
CoreData Research surveyed 132 institutional investors and 22 institutional consultants in the second quarter of 2025. Survey respondents collectively managed or oversaw $4.9 trillion in assets.
Respondents included public sector pensions (28%), insurers (23%), single family offices (18%), investment consultants (14%), endowments and foundations (9%) and public sector pensions (8%). Respondents were from North America (38%), Europe (42%) and the Asia-Pacific region (19%).
Approximately 39% of respondents managed less than $10 billion in assets, 35% managed between $10 billion and $50 billion and 26% managed at least $50 billion.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they had direct involvement in evaluating and selecting managers, 32% said they had oversight of manager evaluation and selection and 10% said they had some influence in the process.
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Tags: CoreData Research, Manager selection
Market Commentary, Thought Leadership Influence Manager Selection
Asset managers have increasingly turned to marketing materials, including market commentary and insights, thought leadership and other kinds of original content in order to differentiate themselves from increasing competition.
Quality market insights and investor-oriented content can be crucial in securing mandates from institutional investors, new research found. In a report from CoreData Research, The Power of Thought Leadership, 59% of institutional investor respondents to CoreData’s survey said their likelihood of investing with one manager over another was directly influenced by the managers’ market commentary and other thought leadership.
Specifically, more than half of respondents (56%) said they looked back at past research to see which asset managers were most accurate in their insights and predictions.
The report found that 99% of institutional investors said content from asset managers influenced their investment decision-making, with 48% of respondents saying it has challenged their thinking on strategic asset allocation and portfolio construction.
For more stories like this, sign up for the CIO Alert newsletter. ?
Approximately 49% of respondents said thought leadership validated the expertise of a manager; 82% said such content also helped drive engagement with managers.
The report noted that the link “between thought leadership quality and brand strength holds up, even among those institutions who see insights as less influential on manager selection, suggesting a strong subconscious impact.”
“Thought leadership is indeed a core part of the asset manager evaluation process, exerting even more influence than many realize,” said Michael Morley, head of CoreData Research U.S., in a statement. “The challenge is producing content that drives behavior. Finding that sweet spot is crucial for resource allocation, especially as asset managers continue to see their margins squeezed.”
Additionally, the survey found that 70% of respondents agreed that in order to “own” a particular theme or asset class, managers must deliver quality thought leadership along with strong returns. Approximately 54% of respondents said thought leadership increases confidence in the investment philosophy and process of a firm and 49% said it validates manager experience.
“The findings help to answer a key question: Is thought leadership worth the investment of time and energy given the reams of content in the asset management space? Yes, if done right,” the report stated.
What do Institutional Investors Want to See?
According to CoreData, institutional investors want actionable, relevant insights that can help them stay ahead of the curve.
“Managers risk cheapening their brand for clicks if they are deliberately contrarian or publishing just for the sake of it,” Morley said in a statement. “Getting predictions wrong, publishing ‘me too’ content that doesn’t add anything new to the discourse, failing to provide clear evidence or actionable investment implications is where thought leadership often goes astray.”
The most in-demand content topics from investors included geopolitics; macroeconomics; environmental, social and governance topics; sustainability; strategy and asset allocation; artificial intelligence and other technology; and thematic, long-term and short-term trends.
Unique ideas were the most-cited factor (81%) for building thought leadership brand equity, according to CoreData. Only 42% of respondents said commentators needed to be provocative or contrarian to stand out.
What factors are important in establishing a position as a thought leader? The five most important, according to CoreData, were:
“In our world, it’s a zero-sum game. Every time my portfolio is making money, someone else is losing… it’s the ideas that win you the day long term. I need someone who can bring interesting ideas and challenge our thinking because to us, that’s the best way to deliver long term returns,” one U.S. pension CIO said in the report.
Methodology
CoreData Research surveyed 132 institutional investors and 22 institutional consultants in the second quarter of 2025. Survey respondents collectively managed or oversaw $4.9 trillion in assets.
Respondents included public sector pensions (28%), insurers (23%), single family offices (18%), investment consultants (14%), endowments and foundations (9%) and public sector pensions (8%). Respondents were from North America (38%), Europe (42%) and the Asia-Pacific region (19%).
Approximately 39% of respondents managed less than $10 billion in assets, 35% managed between $10 billion and $50 billion and 26% managed at least $50 billion.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they had direct involvement in evaluating and selecting managers, 32% said they had oversight of manager evaluation and selection and 10% said they had some influence in the process.
Related Stories:
Institutional Investors Pull Back From US Equities, See Complacent Markets Amidst Tariff Policy Shifts
As Funds Switch to Remote Work, Outside Manager Selection Gets Tougher
More Investors Are Allocating to Emerging Alternatives Managers
Tags: CoreData Research, Manager selection
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