International specialist Ivy Funds is rolling out a new ad campaign to exploit the current flight from technology to more calm waters. The ads focus on the Ivy Global Natural Resources fund and give prominent play to long-time manager Fred Sturm and are running in the August issues of Financial Planning, Registered Rep and Ticker. The firm is also taking the story to advisors in meetings across the country.

Stephen Barrett, executive vice president and director of marketing at the Boca Raton, Florida-based unit of Canada's Mackenzie revealed that the advisor meetings started a couple weeks ago. The ads involve regional meetings and conferences calls featuring Sturm who makes a short presentation and then fields questions.

The meetings are "a grass roots effort," according to Barrett. "We have been having meetings with 30 to 40 reps after the market closes. Sturm explains the allocation of the fund and what are natural resources." Next week Sturm will also be heading to New York City to meet members of the press and also the home office staff from key broker-dealer partners of Ivy.

"Fred has been going about 20 hours per day since the start of the month," said Barrett. "He really enjoys doing these meetings and is very good at it." The firm is also planning 2 or 3 conference calls opened up to the world which will take place sometime after advisors return from their Labor Day vacations.

The magazine ad features a picture of Sturm with the top of his head cut off. The top reveals growth rings as if Sturm were a tree. "We did the ad internally," said Barrett. He explained that the entire marketing and a "smattering of folks" from sales gathered at a conference table with pizzas and were told not to leave until an idea was found. The firm then hired a local artist to make the picture.

"We decided to have some fun with what we are doing, not just put up the numbers," he explained. The ad must be working because Barrett plans to do another meeting for the follow-up.

Assets in the fund at the end of March were $9.5 to $10 million. By July that amount doubled to $20 million, which encourages Barrett since most flows are going value and fixed income in the current market. The firm's target for the fund is $75 million. Sturm also manages about $450 million for Toronto parent Mackenzie Financial.  

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