kasina Study Rates iShares #1 Among Asset Managers in Social Media
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) announced that its iShares Exchange Traded
Funds (ETFs) business, the world’s largest manager of ETFs, was named
the #1 asset manager using social media, according to a study released
today by the financial marketing services firm, kasina. The study
evaluated 53 investment managers and emphasized how each engaged with
advisors, policyholders and investors. Rankings were based on an
analysis of the availability of content, quality of that content and
user experience on five social media platforms, including blogs,
Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. BlackRock was also recognized
with a #1 ranking for its LinkedIn program.
“The results of the kasina study recognize our ongoing commitment to
meeting the needs of sophisticated investors in an increasingly digital
world,” said Eileen Loustau, Head of iShares Digital and Social
Marketing at BlackRock. “Social media has allowed iShares to create a
dialogue with financial advisors and end investors in a way like never
before, but it’s not enough to just have a social presence -- you need
to listen, respond and provide value. From offering the latest insights
on the markets to demystifying some of our industry’s most challenging
issues and answering questions in real-time, we view social media as
critical to our ability to be a resource for today’s sophisticated
investors.”
Recognizing that advisors and investors were increasingly looking to
social media platforms for information, iShares started focusing their
efforts on social media in late 2010. Today their anchor property, the
critically-acclaimed blog, iSharesBlog.com, distributes educational
content, original infographics, market commentary and a diverse range of
videos on a daily basis. iShares has been able to extend the dialogue
and further the reach of their content through Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube and LinkedIn.
iShares recently used social media to help explain the often
misunderstood process of ETF creation and redemption through a
six-minute animated video called The Story of ETF Creation.
Watch
The Story of ETF Creation from iSharesETFs on YouTube
“The creation and redemption process and the liquidity it can provide
are critical to understanding the benefits of ETFs but despite our best
efforts to explain it through traditional media, we often found that
people were still confused,” said Loustau. “After developing a short
animated video that explained creation and redemption through a simple
metaphor of a flower shop we were then able to distribute it via our
social media networks and create a virtual ‘a-ha’ moment within our
community of followers.”
To date, The Story of ETF Creation has received more than 10,000
views and was recently recognized by the Financial Communications
Society.
In addition to the #1 ranking from kasina, iShares was recently named by
Forbes as one of the "Eight
Financial Service Companies That Get Social Media” based on a report
by Corporate Insight and Investment News included the iShares Twitter
feed in the “20
Twitter Feeds All Financial Advisors Should Follow.”
Follow iShares:
iShares
Blog
iSharesETFs
on Facebook
iSharesETFs
on YouTube
@iSharesETFs
on Twitter
About BlackRock
BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and
advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At
March 31, 2012, BlackRock’s AUM was $3.684 trillion. BlackRock offers
products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients’ needs, including
active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes.
Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate
accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange-traded
funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk
management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a
broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®.
Headquartered in New York City, as of March 31, 2012, the firm has
approximately 9,900 employees in 27 countries and a major presence in
key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia,
Australia, and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information,
please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.
About iShares
iShares is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over
500 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which
trade on 20 exchanges worldwide. The iShares Funds are bought and sold
like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares Funds are
attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial
intermediaries because of their relative low cost, tax efficiency and
trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any
brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds
in any type of brokerage account. The iShares customer base consists of
the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as
the retail segment of financial advisors and high net worth individuals.
Carefully consider the funds' investment objectives, risk factors,
and charges and expenses before investing. This and other
information can be found in the funds' prospectuses, which may be
obtained by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or by visiting www.iShares.com.
Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk,
including possible loss of principal.
Transactions in shares of the iShares Funds will result in brokerage
commissions and will generate tax consequences. iShares Funds are
obliged to distribute portfolio gains to shareholders. Shares of the
iShares Funds may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any
brokerage account. However, shares may only be redeemed directly from a
Fund by Authorized Participants, in very large creation/redemption
units. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for
shares of an ETF will develop or be maintained.
The iShares Funds ("Funds") are distributed by BlackRock Investments,
LLC (together with its affiliates, “BlackRock”). BlackRock is not
affiliated with kasina.
The iShares Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or issued by Barclays
Capital Inc., nor does this company make any representation regarding
the advisability of investing in the Funds. BlackRock is not affiliated
with the company listed above. iS-7230-0512
* Not FDIC Insured * No Bank Guarantee * May Lose Value
BlackRock, Inc.
Christine Hudacko, 415-670-2687
christine.hudacko@blackrock.com
Diane
Henry, 415-670-4567
diane.henry@blackrock.com
Source: BlackRock