Ernst & Too Young? Accounting Firm's Accidental Porn Re-Brand

What do you get when you cross a multinational professional services firm with a semi-annual magazine known for featuring homoerotic images of very young, half naked men? In the case of mega accounting firm Ernst & Young, it may either mean tapping into an unchartered market, or upsetting some of its stodgier clients. Time will tell.

It all started last month when Ernst & Young in an effort to modernize their corporate messaging, rebranded as "EY," causing an inadvertent and unfortunate crossover between the world's third largest professional services firm and EY Magateen, which according to Wikipedia "addresses the energy, power and vitality of young men, most of them aged between 16 and 21 years old." The result has caused soft core pornographic images from EY Magateen to come up during Google searches for EY professional services.

As reported in SiloBreaker.com, "It will be apparent to individuals looking for EY, the professional services organization, that the images are not related to us. People are aware of how search engines on the internet work and, as the imagery for our new brand becomes more established in the market place, it will be easier for internet browsers to find the images they are looking for."

Newly-appointed EY Global Chairman Mark Weinberger told accountingweb.com that the rebranding includes a change to their logo. "Our new brand name and logo demonstrate clearly and boldly who we are and reflect the goal we have recently set for ourselves to be the number one brand in our profession."

Mr Weinberger added that changing EY's tagline "puts front and center what we do every day, and that's building a better working world.""

Representatives from EY Magateen were unavailable for comment.