There are boat loads of really smart people over at Accenture, which is why I’m wondering how this commercial saw the light of day.

It’s actually a cute little concept. The surfing elephant gets an easy smile and ties in with their question about “who says you can’t be big and nimble?”

Two things… for one, they used the Kinks song, “Well-Respected Man,” which is one of those deceptive little songs that sounds like it’s being nice, but is really a swipe at conservative businessmen in the UK (and their parents). The first verse is OK, but the second is where you can start to see some of Ray Davis’ classic wit:

And his mother goes to meetings,
While his father pulls the maid,
And she stirs the tea with councilors,
While discussing foreign trade,
And she passes looks, as well as bills
To every suave young man

I guess it could be worse… I once saw a trailer for “A Very Tigger Movie” that used Semi-Charmed Kind of Life and one of the cruise lines used to play Lust For Life by Iggy and the Stooges, both are about drug use. But hey, at least they’re catchy, right?

The other thing I’ve kind of got a problem with is the line, “Who says you can’t be big and nimble?” Well, everybody says that because it’s pretty much true. Sure, there are a few companies that pull it off, but for the most part, any time you’ve got more than 50 people working for a company, you’re more wrecking ball than mongoose.

At least they’re not using the Tiger Woods ads anymore…

– Jeff Ferguson