SwanDog Strategic Marketing unleashes the DailyDog(SM) for financial services marketers

Chicago, IL, January 23, 2009— SwanDog Strategic Marketing, LLC, a financial services marketing consulting boutique, today announced the launch of the DailyDogSM widget. The widget is a calendar-driven planning tool designed to help mutual fund and other investment product marketers keep on track. It’s believed to be the first marketing planning widget.

“Now more than ever, the investment industry needs its marketing leadership to step up,” said Dave Swanson, SwanDog’s managing principal and founder. “And yet, research we conducted last year [see the Beyond The Collateral research Web site at www.beyondthecollateral.com] revealed that strategic planning was not a strength. The widget is our way of helping marketers focus on what’s important—while having some fun with it.”

Marketers who download the widget from www.swandog.com to their desktop will receive daily planning notes in multiple categories (Plan, Budget, Build, Engage, Train, Analyze and Warning). In addition to setting their own alert time, users can set the breed of their Dog. Choices include Black Lab, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd and Dachshund.

The DailyDog(SM) is a collaboration of SwanDog friends. The widget was developed by 50,000feet, Inc., a Chicago-based strategic communications agency (www.50000feet.com).

“We believe the DailyDogSM offers just the right blend of inspiration and education to engage SwanDog’s core audience of financial services professionals,” said Chris Prescher, 50,000feet’s Interactive Strategy and Design Director.

Content is being continuously created by SwanDog and Rock The Boat Marketing, SwanDog’s digital strategy alliance partner (www.rocktheboatmarketing.com).

About SwanDog Strategic Marketing
Chicago-based SwanDog is a strategic consulting and marketing boutique founded by former investment industry executive Dave Swanson. SwanDog services include branding strategy and development, marketing program development, digital strategy consulting and analytics, content strategy consulting marketing organization audits and design, and training through its interactive Marketing Fuel program.

October 12, 2007 Chicago--Too many firms fail to plan, so SwanDog Strategic Marketing, LLC is offering a free download of its Financial Services Marketing Plan Template through Nov. 30, 2007 at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com .

“Over 35% of firms fail to develop a written marketing plan,” says Dave Swanson, Founder and Managing Principal of Swan Dog, citing research from a recent study co-authored with FRC (Financial Research Corporation) on financial services marketing.  “In fact, only a small percent of the plans we reviewed provided any strategic direction whatsoever.  Most were little more than a hyped-up tactical to-do list. I know marketers can do better – they just need the tools and guidance.”

The Marketing Plan template is an easily downloaded, Word document that takes you step-by-step through the planning and development process.  It is available at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com, a site SwanDog developed as a companion to the just released financial-services marketing study -- Beyond The Collateral – Unlocking Marketing’s Strategic Potential for Competitive Advantage.  Both the study and the website are designed to provide a comprehensive look at marketing in the financial services industry today, and provide direction and insight that empowers marketing in this industry to begin to take a more strategic leadership-role within their firms. 

“Business marketing usually takes the form of sales support”, says Swanson.  “But that’s not necessarily the role it should be playing. Marketing needs to earn the right to lead.”  SwanDog believes the first step to earning this leadership is to just start doing it, and the best way to begin is to develop and distribute a formal, strategic marketing plan that is: tied to the overall business strategies and objective, actionable, results focused, and designed to deliver measurable output. The Marketing Plan template they are offering is intended to provide the structure for just that.

About the Study
The comprehensive marketing study combines primary quantitative and qualitative research of senior executives, distribution and marketing heads with SwanDog’s experience. SwanDog principals average of over 20 years each as marketing practitioners in the financial industry.  In addition to exploring the current state of marketing and the prospects for its future, the study offers preliminary benchmarking of marketing compensation, budgets and organization structures as well as presenting a roadmap for bringing more strategic focus to firm’s marketing efforts.  More details regarding the study can also be found at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com.

About SwanDog Strategic Marketing
Chicago-based, SwanDog is a strategic consulting and marketing firm founded by investment industry executives. We partner with companies to develop their competitive advantage in the marketplace, by:

• Unlocking their marketing organization’s strategic potential
• Developing products and programs that their customers find meaningful
• Building sustainable differentiation through branding efforts

SwanDog exclusively serves the financial industry, with special expertise in business-to-business marketing.

SwanDog Announces the release of a new study co-authored with FRC (Financial Research Corporation) – entitled  Beyond The Collateral – Unlocking Marketing’s Strategic Potential for Competitive Advantage.  The study represents one of the most comprehensive examinations of marketing ever undertaken in the intermediary-distributed financial space.  It reviews perceptions of marketing as well as presenting a roadmap for implementation of strategic change.

To find out more about the study visit:  www.beyondthecollateral.com