We devoted meticulous attention to our audience in this campaign. Through market research, we developed an entirely new “independent-minded” target persona that captured a range of self-employed workers across industries. We also realized that Quickbooks, which helps people track their finances and earn tax deductions, for example, has a lot to offer entrepreneurs. That insight became the genesis for our creative direction. We developed creative that positioned Quickbooks as a powerful tool that helps entrepreneurs achieve their goals, summed up by our tagline “backing you.” Entrepreneurs are a diverse group, so we focused on the qualities that unite them, like passion, hustle, and determination. We showed the reality of struggle and achievement that entrepreneurs face in order to make our marketing personal and inspiring. And to drive home our message, we put a spotlight on actual creators by prominently featuring singer-songwriter Willa Amai and her self-employed team in our campaign.

Financial preparation for small businesses peaks January through April, so we began our campaign with a major TV event on Christmas Day, which coincided with a peak in NFL viewership, and kept Quickbooks visible with other high-profile TV events through the NFL playoffs. Online, we leveraged our market data to find entrepreneurs through innovative digital experiences like a Reddit AMA with a Quickbooks consultant and integration in NPR podcasts. One of our most unique activations, however, was a collaboration with singer-songwriter Willa Amai. Capitalizing on buzz around the Grammys, we released a music video featuring Willa and her self-employed team. The video highlighted self-employed workers across many industries, and portrayed Quickbooks as a champion of those who work for themselves. We featured Willa on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram around the peak of Grammys interest, and supported her with a SXSW performance in March and a national radio tour.

Our audience-first approach paid off with incredible results for Quickbooks. Online revenue increased 30% from the previous year and we smashed our subscriber goal with a 40% increase in gross new subscribers, which beat even our most aggressive predictions. Beyond that, unaided awareness of the Quickbooks brand increased by 31% from the start of the campaign, and website traffic grew by 36%. Our campaign was also highly efficient and we measured success by more than just the numbers. From our Reddit AMA to our hit commercial with Willa Amai, we started conversations about Quickbooks on a range of channels and introduced the company to all kinds of self-employed professionals. Our brand story resonated with them, and it gave Quickbooks a demonstrable boost in visibility among this diverse, dynamic segment.