HMRC Reappoints UNLIMITED & Pablo as Creative Partners

Following a competitive pitch process open to all agencies listed on the government framework run by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has reappointed UNLIMITED and Pablo as its lead creative partner. The £14m contract will run initially for three years, with the option for an additional year.

This decision will extend a successful partnership that began in May 2022. UNLIMITED & Pablo were originally appointed on a two-year contract that was extended by a year prior to this process.

Award-winning campaigns under the partnership to date have aimed to move away from HMRC’s previous persona as the unfriendly and scary ‘Tax Man’, to being there to support customers to get their tax right through deploying a more human and relatable approach across communications. These campaigns have aligned on HMRC's key priorities, including collecting more of the tax that is due and supporting its digital transformation.

Using insights provided by the neuro- and behavioural scientists within UNLIMITED’s Human Understanding Lab, the ambition is to continue shifting the perception of HMRC, aiding the department in delivering on their vision of becoming a trusted, modern tax and customs service and making it easier for customers to accurately manage their tax affairs.

As part of the process to drive customers towards their digital channels, HMRC’s latest campaign, 'You're On It' encouraged taxpayers to use HMRC’s online services, including the HMRC app. By moving away from the grey and often daunting complexities of numbers, information and tax codes and instead embracing a more surprising and entertaining approach with talking pizzas, yetis and jet packs, the Department has driven awareness and use of their digital services.

Previously, a campaign 'Less Distraction, More Action' drove procrastinators who had been putting off filing their tax return by 31st January to file on time, turning symbols of procrastination into spokespeople and interrupting people in those same moments with savvy media placements. The campaign led to a record number of customers filing their tax returns early, the most on-time returns of any Self-Assessment deadline, dramatically reducing the department’s operational costs.

The scope of the contract is extensive and is expected to run across Pablo and the entirety of the UNLIMITED group, including TMW, (UNLIMITED’s integrated creative agency) and social, influencer and PR experts, TMW Tomorrow.

Since being appointed to the CCS roster in 2022, UNLIMITED & Pablo have become creative partners with several Government departments and public clients, including the Department for Business and Trade, the Cabinet Office, the Metropolitan Police and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.

​Neil Martin, director of strategic communications, HMRC said, “HMRC’s communications campaigns play a key role in supporting our customers right throughout the UK, whether that is helping them to get their tax right using our great digital services or avoiding getting caught in tax avoidance schemes.

UNLIMITED & Pablo have been instrumental in making sure our campaigns cut through the noise and deliver great value results. I am certain they will continue to help us to deliver our ambitions through a combination of their enthusiasm, creativity and brilliant strategic thinking."

Tim Bonnet, president of UNLIMITED (part of Accenture Song) said, “We’re massively proud of the work we’ve done with HMRC over the past three years. By being brave and disruptive, we’ve humanised the HMRC brand and saved millions of pounds of public money. We’re delighted with the vote of confidence and extremely excited about the opportunity to continue to push the boundaries further, driving even more impact.”

​Harriet Knight, managing director, Pablo said, “The opening words of HMRC’s pitch brief said everything a creative agency would want to hear and are testament to the type of partners they are: ‘We’re looking for a partner who can help us to deliver impactful, innovative campaigns which cut through the busy landscape. Creative is key to getting our customers to engage with a subject they’ll often do mental gymnastics to avoid... tax!’ Over the last three years, the team at HMRC have been the fiercely ambitious partners who are constantly striving to push the boundaries, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to continue this wonderful journey with them.”