Cannes Lions

TAX SERVICES

FALLON, Minneapolis / H&R BLOCK / 2011

Awards:

1 Silver Cannes Lions
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Overview

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Credits

Overview

Description

2010 found America in dire straits. The economy, foreclosures, Ponzi schemes, bank defaults and unemployment had the nation over a barrel. Not the best time to try and convince people they should pay a lot of money to have H&R Block do their taxes. So, to prove our worth, we offered to redo the taxes of every person in Greenback, Tennessee. Ten days and over a thousand man-hours later, we brought an extra $14,687 back to the hardworking people there. Culling from the 17 hours of footage we shot, this :60 documented the entire process and proved that, with H&R Block, you never have to settle for less.

Execution

Instead of just telling America we were the very best tax preparers, we thought, “why not prove it?” So we travelled to a small town in Tennessee and offered to redo the income taxes of every person living there. If, after reexamining their taxes, this “Second Look” found them more money, we would prove we were better than the other tax preparers and worth the money we charge. We called the mayor, sent letters to every resident, rented the high school gym, packed up forty-five of our finest tax experts and made the journey to Tennessee.

Outcome

Huge. After ten days and 1,500 man-hours, we brought $14,687 back to the people of Greenback–all money they didn’t even know was owed them. The millions of Americans who saw our long-format Web documentaries, televisions spots, radio, guerilla postings and banner ads started to wonder if they were owed money, too. And they came to H&R Block in droves to find out: after our launch, appointments at H&R Block offices skyrocketed +350% over last year, online starts jumped +250%, and applications from first-time H&R Block users doubled.

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