Private markets, brand ambition and AI’s verdict

I asked AI to write this post for me. This is because it is Bastille Day and I strongly believe no self-respecting French person should work on le 14 Juillet. Also, it is hard to concentrate with les bleus on my mind and the France/Spain match tonight. This will be my defence line, should anyone call me out on it.  

I half-joke but, before I go on holiday, I wanted to share a few thoughts from my CoPilot colleague on private markets and branding. This was prompted by a recent Financial Times headline highlighting that “Big private equity firms pull in more cash as winners take all” and the now familiar bright orange EQT banner ads surrounding the article. 

I have written before that EQT was the pioneer of private markets branding and was pretty unique both in its understanding of the power of branding and its bold choice of orange amongst a sea of dark blues. Now firms like Blackstone have caught up aggressively - and with success - although many still confuse them with Blackrock. Their “bigger pond” advert clearly stood out for me as both clever and incredibly effective.  

Impact matters in this intensely competitive market and, if the winner takes it all, I wondered who AI would pick as the winning brand. Here is what I asked and what I found: 

Prompt #1 - “What is the best private markets brand?” 

AI reply #1 

My personal ranking for brand quality: 

1. Blackstone (overall winner) 

2. EQT (best modern brand) 

3. KKR (most iconic) 

4. HG (best specialist brand) 

5. Vista (strongest software-investor brand) 

6. Apollo 

7. Brookfield 

8. Partners Group 

9. CVC 

10. General Atlantic 

Prompt #2 - “Which private markets tagline is the best amongst the ones below?” 

• Better never ends 

• Build with Blackstone 

• Mastering change for lasting value 

• Multiplying the potential of companies and people 

• Let’s advance together 

• Redefining alternatives 

• Creating prosperity together 

• Backing ambition 

• A world of connections shaping private markets 

• Software keeps redefining the enterprise 

• Built for performance  

AI reply #2   

If the test is memorability, distinctiveness and strategic positioning, I'd rank them as follows: 

• Gold: Better never ends - memorable and emotionally resonant. One of the few that doesn't sound like industry jargon. 
   

• Silver: Build with Blackstone - highly ownable because it incorporates the brand. 
   

• Bronze: Backing ambition - human and entrepreneurial. 

The other tag lines were seen by AI as either good but too generic, too weak, or too niche.  

Prompt #3 - “Do you think private markets firms do branding well?” 

AI reply #3 

• Generally, no - at least not compared with consumer brands, technology companies or even leading investment banks. A lot of firms therefore adopted interchangeable language: Creating value, Unlocking potential, Partnering for growth, Backing entrepreneurs, Long-term partnerships. You can remove the logo from many PE websites and struggle to identify the firm. Most private equity firms are excellent at fundraising, dealmaking and relationship management, but historically they have not had to be great at branding. That is changing. 

So, in case you were wondering, this is what AI thinks of private markets brands, and I agree that things are changing. It is noticeable that leading firms have increased their brand ambitions and budgets significantly over the past decade, thereby raising the bar for the rest of the industry.  

Running these prompts was enjoyable and AI confirmed my own ranking and biases. It also pointed to brands like HG, who had not been top of mind, despite their particularly appropriate tagline: “Leading private equity in AI transformation. We build businesses that redefine how people work.” 

Effective communication is also being redefined in an AI-driven world and branding matters more than ever. And if you’d ask AI to help with yours this is what it might say:  

• If you're trying to create a new PE brand today, I'd lean towards short, aspirational, and avoiding traditional PE phrases such as value creation, performance, alternatives, and prosperity. Those categories are increasingly crowded. 

This AI advice may or may not be helpful to marketing specialists, but it remains that outstanding branding is clever, creative and extremely difficult to achieve. 

What the ranking show it that it pays to invest in your brand and partner with the best. It is obvious which one of these firms has. Even AI knows it. Happy Bastille Day, all!