Accenture
Company: Accenture
Company Description: Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments.
Nomination Category: Communications & Marketing Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Marketing - Business to Business
Nomination Title: Accenture’s High Performance Delivered Integrated Marketing Campaign
In up to 500 words, tell the judges about the nominated campaign: its genesis, development, planning, commission, and performance to date:
The brand essence of Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, can be summarized in three words:
High Performance Delivered. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With approximately 223,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010.
Accenture’s target audience is the “C-Suite”—the CEO, CFO, CIO, CMO and strategic heads of various divisions in the corporate structure. Because Accenture concentrates on large-scale consulting engagements, these individuals are found in large multi-national companies—the leaders of the Global 2000 companies. Given the nature of the target audience, Accenture needs to break through the sameness with a truly interesting and unexpected idea.
“Opportunity doesn’t always arrive gift wrapped,” states one headline in Accenture’s refreshed “Animal Metaphors” advertising campaign, which features a polar bear standing over an ice-encased fish. On January 2011, this and another new ad debuted in 31 airports around the world, online and in print. A second ad features an extremely wooly sheep with the headline, “How do you get more out of the same resources?” The following month, a giraffe ad launched, with a pyramid of giraffes reaching the top-most leaves of a tree, with the headline, “Do what you do best. Better.” Testing shows that the use of animal metaphors continues to drive the message that Accenture helps clients become high-performance organizations, and sets Accenture apart from other business-to-business advertisers in the marketplace.
With the refreshed campaign, Accenture’s advertising retains its signature balance of wit and insight while exploring topical high-performance themes, such as optimizing productivity, capturing unconventional opportunities, and enhancing core competencies. The campaign channels issues that are on the minds of clients and prospects, expressing complex business challenges in clever metaphors that are relevant, impactful and easily understood to create a differentiated and powerful campaign.
Accenture’s integrated marketing campaign was enhanced further with the following initiatives:
• The company’s website was transformed into a world-class award winning site.
•A new, differentiated recruitment ad campaign was launched to support a 71,000+ recruitment goal.
•A Skills to Succeed TV spot was launched to support Accenture’s corporate citizenship goals.
•An advertising agency review was completed to invite new strategic and creative thinking to take the company’s brand to the next level.
•Ongoing social media discussions via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin.
The Accenture brand has seen great success across many measures, including being ranked #47 with a $7.5B brand value in the 2010 Interbrand 100 Best Global Brands. Accenture also ranked #49 in the Financial Times 2011 BrandZ Top 100 ranking, with an estimated value of more than $15B. Accenture’s integrated marketing campaign drives a powerful brand in the global marketplace by differentiating Accenture competitively and managing the company’s brand consistently.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, work samples, videos, photographs, or other supporting materials that you would like the judges to see. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
http://www.accenture.com/
http://www.accenture.com/Global/About_Accenture/Company_Overview/Advertising/default.htm
http://www.accenture.com/Global/About_Accenture/Sponsorships/default.htm
http://www.accenture.com/Global/Research_and_Insights/Outlook/default.htm
http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2010.aspx
http://www.brandz.com/output/
http://twitter.com/accenture
http://www.facebook.com/accenture
Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the team that created and carried out the nominated communications campaign (up to 100 words):
As Executive Director - Global Image for Accenture, a $21.6 billion global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, Teresa Poggenpohl is responsible for shaping the company’s brand and position in the marketplace in support of its strategic agenda. She has received wide recognition for her achievements, including “Who’s Who in B-to-B 2009 & 2011” and “Best Marketer” 2007-2009 by B-to-B Magazine. Teresa holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois-Champaign. Teresa serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Business Marketing Association and the Chicago Children’s Museum.