PAX WORLD MUTUAL FUNDS
Sustaining Visibility for Pax World Mutual Funds in the Economic Collapse

In the aftermath of the collapse of Lehman Bothers in late 2008, you couldn’t open a newspaper, businesses publication, or watch a TV report that included anything other than negative news about the economy. In early 2009 and against the backdrop of the largest economic downturn in the last half century, Solomon McCown & Co. (SM&) took on the challenge of distinguishing Pax World’s unique offerings – mutual funds in the sustainable investing space – not only within a crowded field of other mutual funds, but also with media organizations that turned a deaf ear to anything not associated with the downward spiral of the American economy.

Pax World’s primary goal is to produce competitive returns for its investors by integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria – what it calls “sustainability” criteria – into its investment approach.

As gatekeepers to potential investors, financial advisors are an important audience for Pax World. They too were skeptical of sustainable investing and were reluctant to consider any new approaches in 2009.

We knew we had to get Pax World into the publications those advisors and their clients (investors) read consistently. SM& developed a media relations strategy for Pax World. We drafted and pitched 13 press releases over a 12-month period announcing new products, fund performance, individual and company achievements, and new partnerships.

We secured interviews for Pax World’s President and CEO, Senior Vice President for Sustainable Investing, and portfolio managers to discuss trends in the market, how sustainable investing works and why it’s a better approach. As the “green revolution” was gaining momentum across sectors, we leveraged opportunities to showcase Pax World’s new Global Green Fund.

Pax World had very definitive points of view on several pieces of legislation, notably climate change and financial reform. We tracked progress on the bills and which reporters were writing about them, and at the right time, put Pax World’s executives in front of them. We placed op-eds on the financial crisis, bankruptcy relief for homeowners, and climate change. SM& placed Pax World in 38 articles in national and mainstream media, and another 68 articles in industry publications. Pax World op-eds ran in Investment News and the Huffington Post. CEO Joe Keefe is now a contributing blogger on the Huffington Post.

With the help of increased visibility across all fronts, Pax World’s assets under management grew from approximately $1.9 billion at the beginning of 2009 and the height of the financial crisis to about $2.4 billion in January of 2010, a 26% increase.