A.T. Kearney to launch print ad campaign

The management consulting firm today detailed plans for a North American brand advertising campaign, marking the first ad campaign in its 75-year history, the company said in a statement.

A.T. Kearney, which is owned by services giant EDS, said the new campaign focuses on CEOs and the challenges they face in the new economy as more businesses adjust their corporate strategies for the Net.

Today's news comes amid a time of change for the management consulting industry overall, as firms scramble to revamp themselves into viable Internet players. In the past year, other consulting firms such as Andersen Consulting and Ernst & Young have launched hefty ad campaigns to gain awareness in the market.

"(A.T. Kearney) is mainly catching up to the others as far as doing image advertising," said Tom Rodenhauser, an industry analyst that heads ConsultingInfo.com. "They're trying to project the image that they're one of the top strategy firms in the world."

Still, Rodenhauser said that unlike other firms, A.T. Kearney is not trying to promote itself as an e-business leader or e-consultant, but more as a strategist, working side by side with companies' CEOs.

"The firm has been around for 75 years. They're trying to promote their longevity," Rodenhauser added.

The first ad of four is a two-page layout that poses the question: "Every CEO enjoys a honeymoon period. But what do you do after those three seconds are up?"

The answer states: "The pressure is enough to make any senior executive seek spiritual guidance. Or at least a partner who has an innate sense of business and how it operates. After all, shouldn't you bask in the glow of success for a little longer than three seconds?"

The ads will appear throughout the year in North American and global business publications, including Business Week, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune.

The company, which did not disclose how much is being spent on the campaign, said it plans to run the ads in European publications later this year.