"Change Marketing First"... KTB Asset Management Reviews Internal and External Contests for New ETF Brand

Increasing Market Participant Attention and Strengthening Brand Identity

Bae Jae-gyu, CEO of Korea Investment Trust Management, is being interviewed on the 16th at Korea Investment Trust Management in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Korea Investment Trust Management is differentiating its marketing efforts in relation to the rebranding of its exchange-traded fund (ETF) brand.

According to industry sources on the 24th, Korea Investment Trust Management is considering both internal and external contests to rename its ETF brand, ‘KINDEX.’ If an external contest is held, prize money will also be planned.

Earlier, President Bae hinted at changing the ETF brand during a press conference after his inauguration, expressing intentions to strengthen presence in the ETF, target-date fund (TDF), and retirement pension markets. The consideration of an external contest for the ETF brand change is interpreted as an effort to attract market participants’ attention from the marketing stage.

Currently, the ETF market share by assets under management (AUM) is Samsung Asset Management at 41.13%, Mirae Asset Global Investments at 37.15%, KB Asset Management at 7.78%, and Korea Investment Trust Management at 4.95%. In reality, Samsung Asset Management (KODEX) and Mirae Asset Global Investments (TIGER) dominate the market.

After his inauguration, President Bae set goals to achieve the 3rd largest market share in the ETF market by 2026 and 1st place by 2032 through work reports and executive meetings. To this end, it is known that the company will focus internally on product development and marketing strategies. The reason President Bae is interested in changing the ETF brand lies in the characteristics of the ETF market. In the ETF market, market dominance is more important than product differentiation, meaning the influence of the asset management company’s ETF brand is significant.

Korea Investment Trust Management launched ‘KINDEX’ through an internal contest in 2008 and introduced the active ETF brand ‘Navigator’ in 2021. However, its market share still does not reach 5%. After his inauguration, President Bae discontinued the Navigator brand.

Korea Investment Trust Management plans to announce a new ETF brand in the second half of the year after concretely establishing brand renewal, brand promotion, and marketing strategies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.