TurboTax

CONTEXT

As Director of Strategy at Citizen, I was asked to help TurboTax launch a new feature and at the same time evolve its master brand positioning.

Historically TurboTax was a purely do-it-yourself (DIY) tax software that was built on the concept of empowerment. Now the brand was introducing SmartLook, a service where users could get live, real-time advice from an actual human while doing their taxes. And in the future there were plans for full-service offerings.

This expansion into services had to be managed carefully, as empowerment didn’t necessarily apply. But the brand also needed to stay true to its roots.

We worked closely with our client to analyze existing consumer research and segmented the market. We also conducted IDIs to uncover the real reasons why people do (or don’t do) their own taxes. And we developed positioning concepts which we tested using MaxDiff analysis.

The end result was a recommendation to shift from the idea of empowerment to partnership. While perhaps not groundbreaking, this new positioning captured the role the brand played for the consumer and was applicable to all current and future offerings.

TurboTax was a Citizen client, so we led the overall strategy and PR plan, and partnered with our sister agency Cossette for creative development. The result was a break-through campaign that set the stage for continued brand evolution.

My responsibilities included: primary research design and analysis, secondary research analysis, managing research analysis (internal resources and vendors), strategy and creative brief development, guiding creative development, selling in ideas, and some client management throughout the process.

 
 
 

RECOGNITION

  • Shortlisted, Strategy Awards

 
 

CREDITS

  • Intuit (Client): Carol Pilas, Terry Yakimchick

  • Citizen (Strategy & PR Agency): Strategy // Zach Lieberman, Robert Hicks; Account // Mark Carpenter, Devon Vipond, Heidi Mamer

  • Cossette (Creative Agency): Creative // Peter Ignazi, Natasha Michalowska, Cooper Evoy, Noah Feferman; Strategy // Jay Chaney; Accounts // Anabella Mandel, Jen Foster

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