Taking Stock - How not to reach out to the people.

Accountants have been accused of having little idea when it comes to image. Hence the vast sums marketing consultants can demand to add value to a firm’s brand. But a couple of recent marketing exercises have come to TS’ attention which leave a little to be desired. A $15m national advertising campaign for Deloitte & Touche comprising a series of 30-second TV commercials, tagged ‘The answer is the people of Deloitte & Touche’, have started in the US. The ad, however, fails to state the question. The campaign is an attempt to humanise the firm by presenting testimonials – delivered by actual clients such as Bridgestone/Firestone and Columbia Sportswear – about its staff. The ads are shown on news and business programs like CNN. Print executions are planned for The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. 3D airport displays, a key element of earlier efforts, are also in the mix. Back on this side of the pond, Levy Gee has tried a new marketing ploy in the style of those 1970s Pepsi adverts. The firms latest marketing pack has ‘heart wrenching, fist clenching, stomach churning, nail biting, sweat breaking, eyebrow raising, hand shaking, brain storming, idea forming, grin spreading RESULT! Levy Gee. Stomach churning is closest.