Attention Wall Street – Here’s How to Attract Investors Back to US Stocks
![09-17 349514_monarch_caterpillar](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17-349514_monarch_caterpillar-150x150.jpg)
Even Wall Street’s best are having trouble getting investors to show interest in owning US stocks. Maybe the answer is dropping the logical argument based on experience. Instead, adopt a strategy proven successful with consumers: Change the name and, thereby, the perception.
It started ages ago – the word for thorn/bramble morphed into “rose.” |
![09-17a 815623_bramble](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17a-815623_bramble-150x150.jpg) |
![09-17aa 876535_red_rose](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17aa-876535_red_rose-150x150.jpg) |
More recently, “prune” became “dried plum.” |
![09-17b 692397_pitted_prunes](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17b-692397_pitted_prunes-150x150.jpg) |
![09-17bb 359628_plums_02](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17bb-359628_plums_02-150x150.jpg) |
More creatively, by opening the cage door 5 minutes daily, poultry graduated from “cooped up” to “free range.” |
![09-17c x-1248971_chicken](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17c-x-1248971_chicken-150x150.jpg) |
![09-17cc 946755_chicken_feed](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17cc-946755_chicken_feed-150x150.jpg) |
Just this week, the Corn Refiners Association asked the FDA to permit changing “high fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar” saying, “We hope to erase consumer confusion.” |
![09-17d 777986_cistern](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17d-777986_cistern-150x139.jpg) |
![09-17dd 422626_kidandcorn](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17dd-422626_kidandcorn-150x150.jpg) |
That’s it! Confusion means uncertainty. And in the investment world, uncertainty doesn’t sell. Moreover, Wall Street previously has had success simply by changing labels.
After “junk bonds” had a particularly bad stretch, Wall Street renamed them “high yield,” shifting from a derided label to one picturing desirable results. |
![09-17e1014930_seat_600](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17e1014930_seat_600-150x150.jpg)
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![09-17ee x-511246_lamborghini_2](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17ee-x-511246_lamborghini_2-150x144.jpg)
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With the advent of investment advisory service industry, the term “stockbroker” became equated with huckster. So, brokerage firms designed new business cards that read, “Financial Adviser.” |
![09-17f 805882_salesman_in_the_beach_of_brazil](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17f-805882_salesman_in_the_beach_of_brazil-150x150.jpg) |
![09-17ff 922004_-team_ii-](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17ff-922004_-team_ii--150x150.jpg) |
Today, the term, “US stocks,” reminds investors of unhappy times and broken dreams. So, Wall Street could, through simple relabeling, alter that perspective for the better. For example, imagine looking at a shiny brochure describing “All American Growth Certificates.” Name change magic! An upbeat mood created by association with patriotism, positive payoffs and security. |
![09-17g x-1209643_dream_graph](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17g-x-1209643_dream_graph2.jpg) |
![09-17gg 1143511_stars_and_stripes](http://investmentdirections.com/wp-content/uploads/09-17gg-1143511_stars_and_stripes.jpg) |
Is it a cure for the US stock market? Judging by previous results, it could work.
Tags: Equities, Investing humor, Investment humor, Stocks, Wall Street
This entry was posted
on Friday, September 17th, 2010 at 12:21 pm and is filed under Investment Insights.
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