Video Case 1.

Accenture: The Accent Is in the Name

1. Marketing research was vital in the selection of the name Accenture. The
marketing research process was used appropriately to identify the problem and
develop a suitable approach to finding a name. A tremendous amount of
information was gathered and different solutions were formulated and tested.
All of this resulted in a successful conversion from Anderson Consulting to
Accenture.

2. Accenture’s clients are many and span across several industries. They include
89 of the Fortune Global 100 companies and over half of the Fortune Global 500.
Therefore, Accenture’s target market includes the executives of most large
corporations and many small ones. The use of marketing research is important
for Accenture to maintain and develop good relationships by understanding the
decision making process and the information needs of these corporations.

3. The management decision problem is: What can Accenture do to improve

preference and loyalty within its target market?

4. The marketing research problem is to determine customer preference and

loyalty for consulting companies. More specifically (a)What criteria do
companies use for evaluating consulting firms? (b)How do customers in the
target market evaluate various consulting firms? (c)What is the Firmographic
profile of customers loyal to Accenture? (d)What characteristics differentiate
Accenture loyalists form other target customers.

5.

Graphical Model:

Evaluation of Needs

Develop choice criteria

Evaluate alternative consulting companies

Selection of a consulting Company

Post-project Evaluation

6.RQ1How important is the brand name?

H1:Brand name is very important to all potential clients.

H2:Brand name is more important to new/first time clients.

RQ2How important is the role of price in the selection of a consulting firm?

H1Price is not the most important factor for Fortune 500 firms when selecting a
consulting firm
H2 Reputation is an important factor for Fortune 500 firms