For me, the most compelling question to arise from the tawdry Tiger Woods scandal isn’t whether his wife will leave him, but whether his corporate sponsors will.  In particular, the management consulting company Accenture.

We’re not talking energy drinks or golf shoes here, Accenture is a starched white collar Fortune Global 500 firm that, excuse the analogy, is figuratively in bed with Tiger.

In the words of Accenture’s own Web site:  “Since 2003, Tiger Woods has been the centerpiece of Accenture advertising and representative of its brand image. As perhaps the world’s ultimate symbol of high performance, he serves as a metaphor for our commitment to helping companies become high-performance businesses.” A metaphor for your commitment to helping companies? Well Accenture, I’m thinking that right now Tiger Woods is not exactly the paragon of commitment.

Yet, a visit to accenture.com a full week after the scandal broke revealed he is still gracing the company’s home page. The headline, over a big color image of Woods apparently looking for a misplayed shot, reads: “Opportunity isn’t always obvious.” Which, like virtually any headline used with Tiger these days, can be followed up by a punchline. (Sure, opportunity isn’t always obvious. Sometimes you have to go to the back room of a Vegas lounge to find it!)

Naughty behavior is always a danger when using a celebrity as your spokesperson. But the fact is, when using a celebrity, even one as previously squeaky clean as Woods, you’ve got to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.

In this case, I think it would have been smart for Accenture to put Tiger on the shelf for at least a few weeks or months until the scandal blew over. Accenture’s TV commercials used to end with the line “Just another day in the life of a Tiger”.  And if that becomes the perception of the company’s attitude toward the Wood’s scandal — that they’ve chosen to ignore the negative implications of being tied to the Tiger — Accenture is going to turn off more than a few current and potential clients.

Editor’s note: As this post was being finalized, Gatorade announced that it was discontinuing its Tiger Woods sports drink.

Tom Rapsas is 20-year direct and loyalty marketing veteran and heads up Creative Services at Hanifin Loyalty. He can be reached on Twitter @tomrapsas

For me, the most compelling question to arise from the tawdry Tiger Woods scandal isn’t whether his wife will leave him, but whether his corporate sponsors will.  In particular, the management consulting company Accenture.

We’re not talking energy drinks or golf shoes here, Accenture is a starched white collar Fortune Global 500 firm that, excuse the analogy, is figuratively in bed with Tiger.

In the words of Accenture’s own Web site:  “Since 2003, Tiger Woods has been the centerpiece of Accenture advertising and representative of its brand image. As perhaps the world’s ultimate symbol of high performance, he serves as a metaphor for our commitment to helping companies become high-performance businesses.” A metaphor for your commitment to helping companies? Well Accenture, I’m thinking that right now Tiger Woods is not exactly the paragon of commitment.

Yet, a visit to accenture.com a full week after the scandal broke revealed he is still gracing the company’s home page. The headline, over a big color image of Woods apparently looking for a misplayed shot, reads: “Opportunity isn’t always obvious.” Which, like virtually any headline used with Tiger these days, can be followed up by a punchline. (Sure, opportunity isn’t always obvious. Sometimes you have to go to the back room of a Vegas lounge to find it!)

Naughty behavior is always a danger when using a celebrity as your spokesperson. But the fact is, when using a celebrity, even one as previously squeaky clean as Woods, you’ve got to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.

In this case, I think it would have been smart for Accenture to put Tiger on the shelf for at least a few weeks or months until the scandal blew over. Accenture’s TV commercials used to end with the line “Just another day in the life of a Tiger”.  And if that becomes the perception of the company’s attitude toward the Wood’s scandal — that they’ve chosen to ignore the negative implications of being tied to the Tiger — Accenture is going to turn off more than a few current and potential clients.

Editor’s note: As this post was being finalized, Gatorade announced that it was discontinuing its Tiger Woods sports drink.

Tom Rapsas is 20-year direct and loyalty marketing veteran and heads up Creative Services at Hanifin Loyalty. He can be reached on Twitter @tomrapsas

Reading through the Twitter stream today, I saw this tweet from @davesnyder “There are lots of companies and consultants who are willing to lie and manipulate clients just to make an extra buck”. I thought to myself that the number fitting that description should be quite small, but responded immediately to say that this perceived reality is something we have to work constantly to change.

Sitting in a meeting with the CEO of a credit card services company recently, my eyes drifted to a list of 10 marching orders for the business as my client took a quick phone call. When I regained his attention I asked “why are we wasting our time since you have #8 on the wall”? You see, item #8 said “Don’t hire consultants”. Fortunately, #8 was just a display of his sense of humor!

There are as many consultant jokes as people using the term as a catch-all to describe their otherwise idle time. The value that you can derive from a good consultant is unquestionable and I’ll bet that Accenture, Bain, McKinsey, as well as my friends at Colloquy and Peppers & Rogers would vigorously defend their calling.

Just a few reasons why hiring a consultant is good for business:

1. Focus – Corporate resources are stretched and people are being asked to multi-task their regular duties with some that are out of their comfort zone. Doing desktop research to become an “instant expert” on a topic is a reasonable first step, but to dig into a specialized area of business in a meaningful way, an outside resource is uniquely positioned to get the job done and meet deadlines.
2. Eclectic Experience – The complement to a laser-like-focus is eclectic experience. For example, I have worked on projects in multiple industries and markets, often while speaking another language (Spanish for me). To draw on this range of experience is important to help clients plan not just for the competition across the street but that which is around the globe.
3. Independence – Valuable consulting resources walk in the first meeting with an independent viewpoint and have the courage and integrity to stick to their guns throughout an assignment. One benefit of engaging a consultant is to consider the implications of doing what has not been done in the past. Recommendations can be uncomfortable to convey, which brings us to the next point.
4. Change Agent – I didn’t use the words “fall guy” but that can sometimes be the role. More often, I have witnessed that change can occur through the recommendation of an outside consulting resource. It is politically dangerous to present an argument to your boss that s/he is predisposed to dislike. Having a credible voice to run the gauntlet with you is invaluable for creating needed change.

Possibly the ultimate test of a consultant is their willingness to stick around to assist in execution of the recommended strategy or plan. After all, if “Technology Enables but Imagination Wins” then it is “Flawless Execution that will save your job.”

The Loyalty Marketing business is demanding innovation and it is in scarce supply in today’s market. As I described in a previous post, “Loyalty Truth” is synonymous with Innovation. A consultant worthy of the fee charged should deliver not only on the 4 points above, but be willing to take responsibility for recommendations and help with execution if asked.

Perception changed?