ETFs in Elevators and on the Subway, Too... The ‘Big Spenders’ Welcomed by the Ad Industry [Now in Yeouido]

[Financial News] On the morning commute, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) ad appears on an apartment elevator screen; after switching to the subway, an ad for another asset manager’s ETF comes into view. Product names once compared only on brokerage apps are now encountered right outside the home. These days, ETF ads are by far the most common and familiar.
According to the advertising industry on the 14th, while companies are cautious about spending their marketing budgets amid economic uncertainty, asset managers are making more marketing inquiries and showing greater willingness to run ads. Industry insiders say the asset management sector, which has had a relatively small presence in the advertising market, is emerging as a new source of advertising demand, led by ETFs.
Behind this trend is the rapidly expanding ETF market. As investor interest grows, asset managers are rolling out products based on new indexes and themes. The asset management industry says that with more new products being launched, demand for advertising to introduce each product to investors has also increased.
Just as retailers try to make consumers think of their brands first among similar products, asset managers, too, need to make their names known among ETFs tracking the same index or similar themes. For asset managers seeking to make their names familiar before investors compare products on brokerage apps, the elevators and subways they pass through every day become billboards, too.
An advertising industry official said, “As the ETF market grows rapidly, asset management companies are increasingly taking an active approach to marketing to raise product awareness and strengthen their brand competitiveness,” adding, “In particular, as ETF offerings diversify and investor interest grows, the advertising industry is also viewing this as a new growth market.”

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