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Tiger Woods is at the heart of brand Accenture's advertising and communication. afaqs! figures out if the current scheme of things in the golfer's personal life could take a toll on the brand
Six years ago, Tiger Woods, the golf star, became the face for Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. The company brought him on-board to represent its 'high performance' business strategy. At the time, it was Woods' first business-to-business promotion.
Considering the close advertising bond of Accenture with Woods, and with the current revelation of details with regard to the sportsman's personal life, afaqs! tries to find out if a brand can take the blow in such a situation.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy South Asia
Harish Krishnamachar, vice-president, South Asia, World Sport Group (India)
The most important point is that brand Accenture has leveraged Woods singularly well.
Govind Pandey, president, McCann Erickson
It's essential that the celebrity/sports-star fits well with the brand - especially in the case of Accenture, where the values of the brand are equated with the work ethics and Woods' values, it becomes important. Considering such unpredictable situations, a brand always takes a calculated risk. For Accenture, it is obvious that there will be negative conversation for a while, coupled with a short-term impact.
Jayanta Sengupta, director, Skills Bridge Consultants
It is significant to keep in mind that a brand ambassador is simply one of the channels through which the perception of a brand is built. Accenture has chosen the brand ambassador specifically for the sport/profession he pursues. Accenture, as a brand, has been built on something much beyond advertising - product performance is something you can't discount.