TurboTax Ads from W+K Portland Prove You Don't Have to Be a Genius to Do Taxes

TurboTax last week announced the launch of seven new 30-second television spots and its return to America’s biggest football game. At the heart of this year’s campaign is a TurboTax experience that is so smart, relevant and highly personalized that taxpayers who choose to do their own taxes can do so with confidence.

“This year’s campaign is the next step in our multi-year journey to reposition the TurboTax brand and to build meaningful, emotional connections with consumers. For the first time, we’re addressing the uncertainty and self-doubt many people have about doing their own taxes by showing how TurboTax delivers an effortless, highly personalized and playful experience so they can be confident their taxes are done right,” said Greg Johnson, senior vice president of marketing for Intuit’s Consumer Tax Group. “The ads bring new innovations to life, demonstrating how TurboTax addresses consumers’ doubts and empowers them to get every dollar they deserve.”

The campaign, titled “It doesn’t take a genius to do your taxes,” begins New Year’s eve with a series of broadcast spots directed by Randy Krallman. The ads feature some of the world’s greatest minds who are brought in to show that TurboTax is so simple and intuitive that even real-life geniuses can’t make it any easier to use or understand. The resulting moments are amusingly awkward as the real geniuses— a theoretical physicist, mathematician and computer scientist—discover that they’re entirely redundant when it comes to helping people file their taxes with TurboTax.

A national media strategy integrates high-impact sports, entertainment and cultural moments throughout tax season—including a 30-second ad on Sunday, February 7, marking the brand’s third consecutive appearance in America’s biggest football game.

“We’re excited to bring TurboTax back to the Big Game, reaching millions of consumers at a time when their taxes and their tax refund are top of mind,” added Johnson.

The 2016 campaign is supported by radio, digital and social, and was created in partnership with independent advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, based in Portland, Oregon and multicultural agency Grupo Gallegos.