Spotlight on red faces at PwC as it fluffs its cue
Print Edition
FOR 82 years, global accounting and consulting firm PwC has enjoyed a reputational boon from handling the balloting process at the Academy Awards. Now that status is under threat.
The company was responsible for a colossal mistake at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday night when actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty wrongly announced the top Oscar to “La La Land,” instead of “Moonlight.”
The presenters, it turned out, had been given the wrong envelope by tabulators PwC, in this case the one awarding Emma Stone for best actress for her role in “La La Land.” They corrected the mistake on air but it’s not clear yet how that happened.
Whatever the reason, it has been a cue for endless jokes and hilarity around the world.
For London-headquartered PwC, it’s anything but funny.
According to Nigel Currie, an independent London-based branding specialist with decades’ worth of industry experience, this mistake is “as bad a mess-up as you could imagine.”
“They had a pretty simple job to do and messed it up spectacularly,” he said. “They will be in deep crisis talks on how to deal with it.”
Brands go to extraordinary lengths to protect their image and reputation and to be seen as good corporate citizens. History is littered by examples when a hard-won reputation nosedives — from sporting legends Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong to business giants like BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.
Currie says PwC has no other option than to front-up immediately and explain exactly what happened to contain the damage to its reputation.
“They are absolutely in the spotlight for next week and for longer probably as it unfolds,” he said. “They have to show what happened.”
PwC, which was formerly known as PricewaterhouseCoopers and originated in London over a century ago, has been quick to apologize but has yet to fully explain what happened.
“The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and, when discovered, was immediately corrected,” it said in a statement. “We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”
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