Developing a New Positioning
Over the years, Andersen Consulting had evolved its positioning to better meet the needs of its clients
and marketplace opportunity (see Fig. 9). In this sense, Andersen Consulting fostered a fluid and
evolving positioning. This evolutionary model came not just from the demands of the marketplace.
According to Jim Murphy, Andersen Consulting’s Global Managing Director of Marketing &
Communications, the business leadership of Andersen Consulting was “historically uneasy with the
status quo. There is a hunger for pushing the next horizon.”27
In the months before the arbitration decision, Andersen Consulting was developing a new
positioning that sought to formalize its position as a leader in the new economy. To distinguish
Andersen Consulting from its competition, the firm developed a positioning platform that captured the
company’s vision and strategy -- positioning Accenture as a bridge builder helping companies bridge the
gap from the old economy to the new. It also positioned the company as one who helped companies
transform trends into business opportunities using its deep global knowledge, its unique vantage point
and its breadth and depth of resources and relationships. Behind this idea of partnering with clients was
Andersen Consulting’s vision statement: “To help our clients create their future.”
In July 2000, the firm tested its new positioning with employees, partners, clients, potential
clients, dot-coms and recruits in key markets worldwide. The response was very positive, and the
company forged ahead with the repositioning. 28
Underpinning this positioning was the company’s vision “to become one of the world’s leading
companies, bringing innovations to im ...