New TurboTax Ads Playfully Erase Consumers’ Self Doubt When Doing Their Own Taxes

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2016 ad campaign includes return to American football’s biggest game

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TurboTax®, the nation’s leading online tax preparation service from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), today announced the launch of 7 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.

The commercials debuting today are “S. James Gates W2,” “George Smoot Simple Questions,” “Michio Kaku Absolutely Zero” and “Franklin Chang Diaz Simple Questions.” Three additional broadcast spots will begin airing in January. This year’s campaign also features two Spanish language ads.

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.

About Intuit

Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals.

Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks® and TurboTax®, which make it easier to manage small businesses and tax preparation and filing. Mint.com provides a fresh, easy and intelligent way for people to manage their money, while ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.2 billion in its fiscal year 2015. The company has approximately 7,700 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Media Contacts:
Intuit Inc.
Julie Miller, 858-215-8469
Julie_Miller@intuit.com
or
Wieden+Kennedy
Katie Hull, 503-937-7711
katie.hull@wk.com

Source: Intuit Inc.

Released December 31, 2015