A recent whitepaper, Intermediary e-Mail Trends and Best Practices, finds that asset management firms plan to triple spending on intermediary e-mail efforts over the next three years. The kasina report names the top three asset management firms in the categories of "Subscription e-Mail Messages," "e-Mail Marketing Campaigns," and "Wholesalers & e-Mail," and highlights industry-wide best practices for e-mail usage.

INVESCO Funds (U.S.A.), Putnam Investments (U.S.A.) and Scudder Investments (U.S.A.) were the top three asset management firms under the category Subscription e-Mail Messages, or updates and alerts that intermediaries can opt to receive.

The top three firms for e-Mail Marketing Campaigns are Franklin Templeton Investments (Canada), Franklin Templeton Investments (U.S.A.) and Investec Asset Management (United Kingdom).

The Top 3 for Wholesalers & e-Mail, the process by which wholesalers send e-mails to intermediaries, are Frank Russell Company (U.S.A.), Franklin Templeton Investments (Canada) and Phoenix Investment Partners (U.S.A.).

The study also found that asset management firms send an average of 65,442 e-mails to financial intermediaries each month. In 2002, the average budget for intermediary e-mail efforts at such firms was slightly above $30,000 per year. Over the next two years, this budget is expected to triple as e-mail becomes a more dominant form of communication. Leading firms will spend upwards of $250,000 annually.

"The results of our study demonstrate that asset management firms still lack coherent e-mail strategies for dealing with financial intermediaries," said Lee Kowarski, a kasina consultant. "While intermediaries are open to receiving information electronically, most firms are only now beginning to provide information via e-mail."

The white paper is based on kasina's analysis of 118 asset management firms in Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company interviewed more than 400 financial intermediaries along the process. 

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