News
There's always something going on at Market Strategies International. Find out about the latest market research news and developments in our company and with our partners here.
Recent News
Utility Business Customer Relationships Strengthen to Record Levels
Utilities have strengthened their relationships with their business customers to a record high score, fueled by an increase in Engaged Customer Relationship scores among business customers not assigned a utility account manager.
Utilities Post All-Time High Customer Satisfaction but Lack Customer Trust
Customers are satisfied with electric and natural gas utility service but don't trust their advice or digital competency. Consumers also doubt the industry's ability to keep transmission systems or personal information secure.
Cogent Reports: DC Advisors Reveal Their Preferred Providers
DC advisors are trimming down their set of go-to providers. Recommending an average of just 2.2 plan providers to prospective clients, advisors are increasing competitive pressure in the market.
Cogent Reports: DFA, Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, DoubleLine and American Funds Earn Strongest Loyalty among Growing Segment of Fee-Based Advisors
New forces are converging that could dramatically alter the advisor landscape in the coming years. As the ranks of financial advisors shrink, fee-based advisors represent an expanding segment.
Cogent Reports: Diverse Selection Criteria Characterize New European Pension Mandates
Institutional investors prioritize different selection criteria for new managers across countries, which means winning new mandates will be contingent on providers understanding international business nuances.
Cogent Reports: DC Advisor Brand Consideration Begins with Trust
New study finds that American Funds, Fidelity, Vanguard and BlackRock are the most trusted DC investment managers.
Market Strategies International Building Dream Team to Lead the Company into the Future
Market Strategies today announced a number of executive appointments and leadership changes.
Cogent Reports: Trust Is the No. 1 Driver of Customer Loyalty for Texas Retail Electric Providers
After 17 years of a deregulated electric market, Texas retail electric providers (REPs) have grown Brand Trust to an impressive score of 716 (on a 1,000-point scale). But Texas consumers should beware when selecting an electric provider, as many REPs have low customer trust levels.
Cogent Reports: Utility Industry Environmental Dedication Rates Low Among Consumers
The utility industry's dedication to the environment is not highly rated by utility customers. The 2016 Environmental Dedication index is only 681 (based on a 1,000-point scale), and while this reflects an increase from last year's 677 index, it greatly lags other utility management performance indicators.
Cogent Reports: Trust Tops Performance and Fees in the Battle to Keep Rollover Assets
New Study: Fidelity, USAA, Vanguard, Wells Fargo and American Funds Deemed Most Trustworthy among DC Plan Participants
Cogent Reports: Outage Experiences That Improve Customer Satisfaction
While most utilities see customer satisfaction drop when customers experience an outage, a new report shows that some utilities have been able to use outages to enhance customer satisfaction and trust in their brand.
Smartphone Wars: Apple's Opportunity to Strike
A new study conducted by Market Strategies reveals nearly half of all Samsung Galaxy Note users are interested in defecting to Apple.
Cogent Reports: DOL Ruling Puts Advisors Under Microscope
New study shows advisors want more support and advocacy in wake of new DOL regulations.
Utility Brand Trust Up Among Businesses, But Women-Owned Businesses Not So Quick to Trust
Cogent Reports names 14 electric utilities Most Trusted Business Partners as the industry posts its highest Brand Trust level ever among business customers
Market Strategies Ranked 21st Largest Market Research Firm in the US
Market Strategies International is the 21st largest market research firm in the US, according to “The AMA Top 50 Gold Report,” published annually in Marketing News.
Cogent Reports: iShares Stays One Step Ahead as Most Trusted ETF Brand
iShares continues to be the ETF brand advisors trust most despite an expanding set of ETF competitors, including a number of the largest mutual fund managers.
Cogent Reports: Low Brand Trust Leaves Utility Industry Unprepared for Future
Brand trust levels among residential customers of the nation's electric and natural gas utilities continue to be very low with an average score of 693 (on a 1,000-point scale)–a small eight-point increase from last year.
One in Three American Households Are Stuck in a Relationship with a Financial Services Provider They Don't Trust
Market Strategies' national omnibus study explored trust in a variety of financial services product categories, including banking, credit cards, home mortgage, investment services, auto, home and life insurance.
Cogent Reports: DC Plan Sponsors Say Less Is More in Investment Lineups
Asset managers take note: 401(k) plan sponsors are consolidating the number of DC investment manager relationships as well as the number of plan investment options in an effort to reduce plan costs.
Cogent Reports: Financial Providers Urged to “Go Big or Go Home” When Creating Thought Leadership
How can financial product providers grab the attention of producers they don't already serve? The answer lies in strong thought leadership.
Cogent Reports: Empower Retirement Voted Best Value for the Money by 401(k) Plan Sponsors
Amid an environment in which fee scrutiny is more rigorous than ever, Empower Retirement emerges as the provider that 401(k) plan sponsors attribute most with providing good value for the money.
Cogent Reports: Low Awareness Hampering Uptake of LDI and OCIO Services
Dozens of asset managers and consulting firms are courting institutional investors with solutions-based approaches, yet relatively few are successfully achieving meaningful recognition for their liability-driven investing (LDI) or outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) capabilities.
Cogent Reports: Large Institutions Set Their Sights on Vanguard
Institutional investors managing at least $250 million in assets are more likely to consider Vanguard for future mandates than any other asset manager.
Cogent Reports: Electric Utilities Have Forged Strong Relationships with Minority-Owned Businesses
A new survey by Cogent Reports™ found that electric utilities have succeeded in forging strong relationships with minority-owned businesses and with certain industry segments. This and other findings can be found in the Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Commercial study.
Brand Trust among Texas Retail Electric Providers Varies Greatly
Ambit Energy, Bounce Energy, Champions Energy Services and StarTex Power Are Most Trusted Brands