Dear Colleague:

The worst of the financial credit and liquidity crisis appears to be behind us. As it recedes, management teams across the industry are beginning cautiously recast their focus from survival and stabilization toward renewal and a return to growth.

But while the immediate threat has passed, its repercussions linger. Consider:

• The psychology of U.S. households has shifted in ways that appear lasting and transformational – impacting their aspirations, purchase consideration, willingness to carry debt, and use of financial products
• Trust and credibility in the industry remain very low, reinforced daily by media accounts and political rhetoric
• Rapid consolidation across geographies and product categories is blurring historical distinctions between firms and associated consumer perceptions, thus reshaping the basis for competition
• Although they have begun to return, financial services marketing budgets remain substantially below their healthy pre-crisis levels

In addition, big challenges face the best of financial services marketers – managing to “invisible” profit skews, long-term demographic shifts, proliferating brand touchpoints, and “24 x 7” access expectation.

We all face a daunting challenge: With limited resources, what strategies and tactics should Marketing employ to outperform competitors in this New Landscape?

This year's Financial Services Marketing Symposium promises to be the best forum to address this critical question.

Now in its 8th year, the Symposium provides a platform to interact with industry peers and to gain insight from many of the most innovative retail banks, wealth managers, insurers and payment firms. This year, to broaden our perspective, the agenda will include leading retailers and academics in the fields of ethnographic research and behavioral finance.

Please accept our invitation to join us in November – to identify ways to optimize your organization’s performance and advance the industry dialogue.

Best regards,

Tim Spence
Oliver Wyman | Financial Services
Conference Chairman