Case Study - Accenture

• Chapter 6 – Analyzing Business Markets

• Team Members:
• Aditya Akshay (6)
• Harjot Singh Chance (18)
• Rajesh T R (36)
• Harshit Vyas (66)
• Raunak Anil Kapoor (84)
Summary

• Accenture (then, Anderson Consulting) was created as the consulting arm of

Arthur Anderson. It later separated itself from its parent and shifted its
focus on IT consulting.
• The case study describes how Accenture shrug off the envelope of its
parent’s brand and launched a large-scale advertising campaign to re-brand
itself, carved out its own identity including a name change, and conveyed
this to its business customers. It retained most of them and got many more.
• Accenture’s new brand was very strong and focused on innovation. It
marketed itself as a provider of both business process as well as IT solutions
as against its competitors who offered one of the two.
• The case also speaks about Accenture’s association with Tiger Woods and
how it was affected due to a scandal in which he was involved and how it re-
launched its affected campaigns.
• The case signs off with a mention of Accenture’s strong standing among the
world’s biggest firms and its high revenues indicative of its excellence.
 Questions & Answers
What has Accenture done well
to target its B-to-B audience?
• It successfully re-branded itself as separate from its
erstwhile parent (thereby removing a negative perception)
alongside with retaining a part of its equity (like its
website’s name) which helped it retain most of its original
customers.
• It marketed itself as a provider as well as executer of both
business process and IT solutions as against its competitors
like McKinsey (provider of business process) and IBM
(implementer of IT solutions).
• It initiated a policy where it linked its incentives with its
performance in many of its contracts.
• It brought on board Tiger Woods, then the world’s top
golfer, at his peak when he carried an immaculate image
thereby enhancing its international appeal.
• It disassociated itself with Woods when he was hit by a
scandal conveying a message that it worked only with
winners. Additionally, it re-launched its message featuring
animals this time, thereby fool proofing themselves from
similar scandals.
• Accenture currently is focusing on digital solutions to
project their High Performance Delivered campaign.
• Shifted their focus from celebrity focused advertising to
more generic advertisement. (attract customers, cloud
business perspective, present everywhere, digital growth in
new ways etc.)
Dropping Tiger Woods – Was
it correct?
Pros
• Sending a message that it works only with those who
are at the top and have a spotless image
• Preventing customers from getting distracted while
receiving Accenture’s message through campaigns
featuring Woods
• Preventing reduction of credibility because
association with Woods might show them to be
approving his actions
• Showing them to be upholding moral values
Cons
• Showing them as inconsiderate and disloyal, who
deserts their partners in times of difficulty
• Distancing themselves from a global icon might
reduce their reach
Our stance
• Yes, Accenture has done the right thing since the
pros outnumber the cons. Retaining Woods might
have affected their image which in turn might have
resulted in loss of business.