Vanguard advertising on TV

[soupcxan]

The Vanguard advertising I've seen in the past has been pretty targeted and generally consisted of print ads and web banners. Last night I saw a television ad for Vanguard (part of the new "Vanguarding") campaign. I think it was during Law and Order on NBC - not on one of the financial channels.

I thought the lack of mass media advertising was one of the ways Vanguard kept their costs down. If start running TV ads, how will they differentiate themselves from all the other firms that run TV ads? And how will their cost structure support it?

 

[Nords]

And how will their cost structure support it?

Maybe we should reframe the question:

And how will [-]their cost structure[/-] my fund expenses support it?

The ICI, admittedly a somewhat biased source of info, claims that a huge amount of retail money is sitting on the sidelines:
Why Small Investors Are Shying from Stocks - BusinessWeek

According to the Investment Company Institute, since last year's market bottom investors have pulled $24.6 billion out of mutual funds focusing on U.S. equities; over the same period, they've channeled $455.6 billion into bond funds.
The Fed says households have $7.8 trillion in bank accounts and money funds. That's almost a record high in relation to disposable personal income, according to Wells Capital Management. "Retail investors have massive dry powder and remain woefully underexposed to risk assets," says James W. Paul-sen, the firm's chief investment strategist.

As these "investors" realize what they're getting in CDs & bond funds, I think Vanguard is hoping to capture some easy money and realize more of that fabled "economy of scale".

 

[jIMOh]

Sunday mornings on ESPN I see all sorts of advertisements.

T Rowe Price has been the leader in ads I see.

Vanguard and Fidelity have also had ads...
when I watch sports reporters and outside the lines, those programs usually have ads from the big 3 mutual fund houses.