Page 232 - Marketing Management

ANALYZING BUSINESS MARKETS | CHAPTER 7 209

Accenture’s clients and prospects, all Accenture partners client companies become “high-performing business
and employees, the media, leading industry analysts, leaders,” and the Woods endorsement drove home the
potential recruits, and academia. importance of high performance.
The results of the advertising, marketing, and com- Over the next six years, Accenture spent nearly
munications campaigns were quick and impressive. $300 million in ads that mostly featured Tiger Woods,
Overall, Accenture’s brand equity increased 11 percent, alongside slogans such as “We know what it takes to be a
and the number of firms inquiring about its services Tiger” and “Go on. Be a Tiger.” The campaign capitalized
increased 350 percent. Awareness of Accenture’s on Woods’s international appeal, ran all over the world,
breadth and depth of services achieved 96 percent of its and became the central focus of Accenture-sponsored
previous level. Globally, awareness of Accenture as a events such as the World Golf Championships and the
provider of management and technology consulting Chicago Marathon.
services was 76 percent of levels for the former Andersen That all changed when the scandal surrounding Tiger
Consulting name. These results enabled Accenture to Woods, his extramarital affairs, and his indefinite absence
successfully complete a $1.7 billion IPO in July 2001. from golf hit the press in late 2009. Accenture dropped
In 2002, Accenture unveiled a new positioning to re- Woods as a spokesperson, saying he was no longer a
flect its new role as a partner to aid execution of strategy, good fit for its brand. Indeed, focus groups showed that
summarized succinctly by the tagline “Innovation consumers were too distracted by the scandal to focus
Delivered.” This tagline was supported by the statement, on Accenture’s strategic message. Accenture quickly
“From innovation to execution, Accenture helps acceler- searched for a new concept that not only resonated
ate your vision.” Accenture surveyed senior executives across the world, translated appropriately into different
from different industries and countries and confirmed that cultures, but also cut its ties with Woods.
they saw inability to execute and deliver on ideas as the The result came after the firm dusted off some previ-
number one barrier to success. ous concepts, tested them with focus groups of business
Accenture saw its differentiator as the ability both to professionals, and launched a $50 million campaign fea-
provide innovative ideas—ideas grounded in business turing animals and the same slogan, “High Performance.
processes as well as IT—and to execute them. Competitors Delivered.” In one ad, an elephant is pictured surfing
such as McKinsey were seen as highly specialized at devel- alongside copy that reads, “Who says you can’t be big
oping strategy, whereas other competitors such as IBM and nimble?” In a later ad, a lizard tries to catch a butterfly
were seen as highly skilled in technological implementation. by transforming its tongue into the design of a flower. The
Accenture wanted to be seen as excelling at both. As Ian copy stated, “If you innovate, they will come.”
Watmore, its UK chief, explained: “Unless you can provide Today, Accenture continues to excel as a global
both transformational consulting and outsourcing capability, management consulting, technology services, and out-
you’re not going to win. Clients expect both.” sourcing company. Its clients include 99 of the Fortune
In 2002, the business climate changed. After the Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the
dot-com crash and the economic downturn, innovation Fortune Global 500. The company ended fiscal 2009
was no longer enough. Executives wanted bottom-line with revenues of $21.5 billion.
results. As part of its new commitment to helping clients
achieve their business objectives, Accenture introduced Questions
a policy whereby many of its contracts contained incen- 1. What has Accenture done well to target its B-to-B
tives that it realized only if specific business targets audience?
were met. For instance, a contract with British travel
2. Has Accenture done the right thing by dropping Tiger
agent Thomas Cook was structured such that
Woods as its spokesperson? Discuss the pros and
Accenture’s bonus depended on five metrics, including
cons of its decision.
a cost-cutting one.
In late 2003, Accenture built upon the “Innovation
Sources: “Annual Reports,” Accenture.com; “Lessons Learned from Top Firms’ Marketing
Delivered” theme and announced its new tagline, “High Blunders,” Management Consultant International, December 2003, p. 1; Sean Callahan, “Tiger Tees
Performance. Delivered,” along with a campaign that fea- Off in New Accenture Campaign,” BtoB Magazine, October 13, 2003, p. 3; “Inside Accenture’s
Biggest UK Client,” Management Consultant International, October 2003, pp. 1–3; “Accenture’s
tured golf superstar Tiger Woods as spokesperson. When
Results Highlight Weakness of Consulting Market,” Management Consultant International, October
Accenture sought Woods out, the athlete was at the top 2003, pp. 8–10; “Accenture Re-Branding Wins UK Plaudits,” Management Consultant International,
of his game—the world’s best golfer with an impeccable October 2002, p. 5; Mary Ellen Podmolik, “Accenture Turns to Tiger for Global Marketing Effort,”
BtoB Magazine, October 25, 2004; Sean Callahan, “Tiger Tees Off in New Accenture Campaign,”
image. What better symbol for high performance?
BtoB Magazine, October 13, 2003; Emily Steel, “After Ditching Tiger, Accenture Tries New Game,”
Accenture’s message communicated that it could help Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2010.