Capgemini is ridding itself of the monkey on its back with a name change that leaves the past behind. It's starting a global campaign to reflect new objectives.
The consultant and outsourcer to financial services firms has changed its name from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young to Capgemini and launched a E60 million ad barrage to usher in its new brand and business approach.
Although wise to distance itself from embattled accounting firm Ernst & Young, currently barred by the SEC from taking new corporate clients, Capgemini's rebrand wasn't prompted by scandal. "I'd like to be able to say we were omniscient about this and could foresee it all, but I think we just got a little lucky," says Chell Smith, CEO of Capgemini North America.
The name change is mandated as part of its merger agreement. When Ernst & Young sold its consulting practice to the former Cap Gemini Group in May of 2000, the new entity became Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, even though it would have no affiliation with the accounting firm. "The SEC allowed us to keep the Ernst & Young name for a four-year period because we had concerns about the brand awareness transition. It's turned out that in the last year and a half or so it's probably caused more confusion than it's helped," Smith says.
Knowing it would have to shed the Ernst & Young name by May of this year, the company considered ditching "Cap Gemini" as well, but research showed the name was well regarded in Europe and neutral in the U.S. So the firm grafted the two names together and lower-cased the "g" to update it-hopefully preventing the perception that Capgemini was moving backward.
After some soul-searching, the firm also changed its business approach. Research shows clients are more discerning and think there's a drop in talent below the senior level. They also want more tailored solutions.
So now Capgemini emphasizes the "experience" of consulting with a new model called the Collaborative Business Experience. It should reconnect Capgemini with clients and set it apart from the competition, Smith says.
Euro RSCG C&O won an agency review last spring and crafted television, print and outdoor ads featuring Darren Cahill, Andre Agassi's tennis coach, and Tony Visconti, David Bowie's producer. They draw analogies between the people behind these celebrities' success and the type of relationship Capgemini wants with its clients. Since this is a global effort, it was important to pick people recognized the world over. Capgemini says that not using the celebrities themselves makes the ads stand out from those that do. "We're building a brand around experience, which becomes a difficult concept to make tangible. So we went with this theme of 'collaboration makes you stronger' and decided to show the power of collaboration in action," Smith says.
Brand and marketing consultant J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich Partners, says it's a good approach that should inspire confidence and credibility. "Like many companies, Capgemini is struggling with the negative halo of all the accounting and other scandals that have affected various parts of the financial services industry," he says. But firms must be careful not to muddy their image and competitive edge when distancing themselves from marketplace negativity, he adds.
The television spot features Agassi's coach, Cahill, fly fishing alone in his boat on Arizona's Lake Howell. He talks about helping the tennis star succeed. The spot fits a trend toward soft-sell advertising, particularly since Cahill's identity and Capgemini's brand don't appear until the end.
"We're in an age where advertising needs to be entertaining and have lots of creative elements," Yankelovich's Smith says. "'I've entertained you for 30 seconds, now you're willing to let me show you the selling message.'"
Ads portray the kind of relationship Capgemini offers, rather than shout a name or list services and accomplishments. One of the two print ads corresponds to the Cahill commercial. The other features Visconti, Bowie's producer, practicing Tai Chi on the rooftop deck of a Manhattan apartment. Both men were captured during moments of relaxation.
The campaign launched in April with TV running through summer and outdoor ads throughout the year. Print runs this fall.
