Brokerage/Securities/Wealth Management
A great deal of Abt SRBI's research focuses on the activities of financial institutions engaged in brokerage and wealth management. The firm has experience interviewing customers, brokers and financial advisors as well as portfolio managers. We have conducted brand development and tracking studies and advertising tracking studies. We have also completed customer satisfaction and product development projects as well.

Some of our more recent studies include:
> Separate advertising and brand positioning tracking studies among current customers and prospects for a major new provider of financial services for households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more. The brand positioning work determined the relative strengths and weaknesses of the client brand and several competitive brands on key service and product attributes. The study's results enabled management to identify the brand's core equity and optimize its competitive positioning.

> A survey of financial advisors of a major brokerage firm to find ways to make their proprietary annuities more attractive relative to the non-proprietary annuity products. The survey targeted annuity operations and support as well as the competitiveness of product features.

> An evaluation of the quality of customer service provided by over 200 branches nationwide of a major securities firm. Mailed questionnaires to a random sample of clients from all branches. Fully 61,062 clients answered and returned the questionnaire. Results presented on a branch-by-branch basis.

> An advertising tracking study for a major insurance company among households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more. Study measured levels of awareness of advertising and attitudes toward the company.

> A survey of the financial advisors of a major securities firm to identify branding and program positioning issues, usage patterns of marketing and communications materials, program enhancements and new program development needed to support sales efforts. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire to a sample of 1800 financial advisors nationwide.