Testing a global asset manager's rebrand with CIOs, consultants and fund selectors across seven markets

A brand strategy consultancy asked MindMarket to test a major rebrand for one of the world’s largest asset managers with the actual decision-makers who hire asset managers: CIOs, Heads of Fixed Income at pension funds and insurers, top-tier consultants, fund selectors and private-bank gatekeepers across seven markets (USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan). These audiences are highly protected (assistants, compliance, booked calendars) and the required profile filters produced an incidence below 2%. The stake: the client needed a definitive answer that the rebrand would not block mandates and needed market-by-market, audience-specific guidance to decide whether and how to launch.

MindMarket combined targeted, personal recruitment with senior-market moderation and rigorous verification. Channels used: direct LinkedIn outreach, referrals through networks, specialist panels and layers of personal follow-up. Every candidate’s identity and professional footprint were verified before booking (no verification, no interview). Senior moderators were fielded in every market and moderation techniques were adapted by market (longer rapport-building and simultaneous translation for Japan/Taiwan; pacing and questioning adjusted for US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong). All interviews delivered original-language transcripts (AI-generated and human quality-checked). The field plan was built around senior calendars (evening slots, short mobile sessions where needed).

Recruitment invited 2,650 professionals, 147 started the screener and 22 qualified (incidence below 2%). Recruitment kicked off May 28 and the first completed interview was on June 19 (three-week field start). Across 21 in-depth interviews and 35 surveys spanning seven markets and five professional roles, MindMarket achieved a 100% show rate. The client received a clear green light to launch the rebrand plus a segmented map of what resonates, what needs sharpening, and how reactions differ by audience and market to inform go-to-market sequencing.