Consultants are well known for their penchant for hyperbole, a tendency to which even the Germans, normally more culturally reserved than their North American peers, are apparently not immune. Exhibit A is "Plan B" , the new branding campaign launched this week by Roland Berger in support of the German strategy consultancy's efforts to re-position itself in the market from stodgy but competent incumbent to spunky challenger. Not content with reinventing itself, challenging though that promises to be, Roland Berger evidently wants to transform the entire management consulting industry, if not the world as we know it, promising "a new form of consultancy" that aspires "to set new rules for ourselves, the industry, and the future of us all."
Putting aside for a moment their underwhelming new logo (a flat, grey, capital letter 'B' that looks a bit like a sideways rain cloud) and unfortunate choice of tagline (positioning itself as the world's second choice does nothing to dispel concerns that the firm has struggled to keep up with its larger, more global peers), this development raises three key questions:
