Accenture Risk Management Diver
I was looking through the Accenture brochure on “Finance & Performance: Management Services,” and I couldn’t help but comment on this particular image from their Risk Management Practice:
First off, it almost looks like the woman is not underwater at all, as if she were standing next to a reflective tank. The quality, clarity, and color of her illuminated face is the same both inside and outside of her mask, which is clear of water, fog, and debris (all certainly Photoshoppable). And why is the light shining on her face at the edge of her dry-looking hair instead of the awfully friendly fish? Finally, what does this image have to do with Risk Management?
The idea that diving is supposedly risky is probably the metaphor here, but their clients are not standing around next to aquaria. They’re out deep. Is this a company that sits around all day dreaming about vacation, or is it valuable aid to businesses seeking their help? I’m assuming it’s the latter, but the images projected from their brochures, booklets, and websites say otherwise.
You want a metaphor for what businesses are up against? Try using the Congo Tiger Fish. Help your customers manage this risk, and you’ve got yourself some risk-management cred:
Alas, Accenture will probably not be hiring a Tiger-anything for a long time.
- - - -
Posted on February 17, 2010
Filed Under Advertising, Business and Commerce, Diving, Fish | Leave a Comment
Accenture Dumps Golfing Tiger for Surfing Elephant
If you Google “dumps Tiger,” half of the front page listings deal with the Accenture corporation. They officially cut ties with him in December 2009, giving a crisp send off in this press release (emphasis added):
Accenture Sponsorship Update
NEW YORK; Dec. 13, 2009 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced that it will not continue its sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods.
For the past six years, Accenture and Tiger Woods have had a very successful sponsorship arrangement and his achievements on the golf course have been a powerful metaphor for business success in Accenture’s advertising.
However, given the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising. Accenture said that it wishes only the best for Tiger Woods and his family.
Accenture will continue to leverage its “High Performance Business” strategy and “High Performance Delivered” positioning in the marketplace. The company will immediately transition to a new advertising campaign, with a major effort scheduled to launch later in 2010.
Can you even imagine the buzz going on behind the scenes as they rushed to get their campaign going? I have to say that I am a little shocked in where they took their corporate image in only a few months. I saw the first large ad from the campaign in the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport in January:
What are they thinking? Even beyond my usual critique of overusing paradise to advance any and every possible endeavor, do you really want to tell people that you’re a big soaking wet elephant? Is that your new “powerful metaphor for business success”? And at a time when the biggest political slogan going around is “too big to fail.” Who did this to you? At least they chose a smart animal.
There are more images worldwide in the campaign. The surfing elephant is being used at least in Sweden, Norway, Japan, the UK, and the US. I found six additional images in the campaign. The predominant image for France and some other countries was an elephant being nimble in a more normal setting. It looks leaner too from that angle (a little perspective and liquify go a long way in Photoshop, although it looks a little flat):
The other ad that they chose for France was a bunch of leaping frogs (I’m not sure that they chose this image in thinking specifically about France (given the leapfrogging metaphor in English), but they lost part of the franco-message they were sending):
Then several countries, especially the Scandinavian and South American countries, feature predominantly this Photoshopped shark-shaped school of fish:
There is also a little rain forest escape action going on for several of the countries. Here is China’s page:
The elephant is notably omitted from the Thailand site, the only country I found to feature this cyclist:
The other image for Thailand was this climber (perhaps the most French-looking of all the images):
These consulting companies tell their clients to diversify their risk appropriately, but then they ignore their own advice and put all of their visual resources into one human asset. To make a cleaner escape from the Tiger drama, Accenture could use their resources to take a group of relatively unknown talented individuals engaging in obscure activities and really showcase the world that is out there beyond golf and scuba. They could get 20 for the price one. For example, it’s a shame that we don’t know if that climber is more than just a stock photo. Instead, they went from big-name golf to surfing elephants, revealing their escapist tendencies. Let’s hope their customers don’t also try to escape from them.
In hunting through their website, I found a number of other documents that seem to indicate that they’re really into their paradise. My favorite was their Finance & Performance Management Services booklet, which is full of underwater imagery similar to this cover shot:
I only found one document that truly focused on an image and metaphor that dealt with the topic at hand. It was a brochure for their automotive consulting services, and they chose a car theme throughout:
Finally, they got one right.
I won’t even go into the nautical and anti-paradise discussion about other parts of their site. The images are everywhere. Can you guess what this one is for?
It’s from the brochure “Managing through Challenging Times: A Communications Industry Perspective.” Of course, right?
Will there be sunny days for Accenture without Tiger?
- - - -
Posted on February 17, 2010
Filed Under Advertising, Automobiles, Business and Commerce, Cultural Symbols, Diving, Fish, Golf, Sailboats, Sea and Oceans, Sharks, Technology | 1 Comment
Humans and dolphins are mammals ~ Emerald and Pop Secret are nuts
There is so much that can and cannot be said about the Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret popcorn commercial from the February 2010 Super Bowl:
Even the manipulation of paradise can be manipulated. I’m guessing that this commercial will end up a success. It’s definitely the most memorable of the paradise commercials from the Super Bowl, standing out among ads like those that made fun of Lost that floundered. Emerald and Pop Secret, you are nuts.
- - - -
Posted on February 16, 2010
Filed Under Commercials, Dolphins and Whales, Food and Drink | Leave a Comment
Dead flies at the pool and on the beach
One of the more recent humorous email forwards traveling around contains photos of dead flies with pencil sketches drawn around them to place them in various settings. There are two out of nine (from a greater collection) in the email that I received that are Rapidsea ready. There’s a simple pool scene:
And then there’s the flies sunbathing, presumably on a beach:
The email gives you instructions:
Some people are really bored at work.
Online games are not your only option –
1. Collect some dead flies from the office windowsills.
2. Put them in the sun to dry for one hour
3. Once they are dry, pick up a pencil and paper… Let your imagination run free
It’s funny how when people are told to let their imaginations run free they end up on the beach. Finding a setting in which you exhibit “creativity” almost always ends with creations placed in a paradisiacal setting. Have we lost our ability to imagine place?
When emails like this one come around, I’m naturally inclined to look for whatever beachy images are included that people consider to be “creative.” Paradise almost always finds a home in these images. Remember the cappuccinos?
If there are escapist images in the emails, I try to make my way back to the source to see what the creators themselves thought of their images. These photos are from a photographer and artist named Mangus Muhr from Sweden. The following screenshot is from his gallery’s main page:
It’s interesting to note that the dead-fly image he preferred to show is that of the flies on the beach. You can see more of his photos there.
If you see the email and forward it on, add his name into it so that he gets proper credit.
- - - -
Posted on February 16, 2010
Filed Under Beaches, Irresistible Spam & Bacn, Pools | Leave a Comment
HOME
