TurboTax releases an ad worse than taxes itself
Intuit TurboTax might make filing your taxes online easy and pain-free. The same cannot be said for watching the company’s Instagram ads. At least not in the following example:
Where do we begin? How about at the beginning.
1. The basketball. TurboTax didn’t need to use an officially licensed, game-used NCAA basketball, but it needed to do better than this. A new, bright-orange ball would better match viewers’ association with the March Madness brand. If you’re attempting to tie your product to a widely popular event watched by millions - in this case the NCAA basketball tournament - then don’t overlook the small details. From the jump, this ball indicates that what you’re about to watch was done on the cheap.
2. Casting. One needn’t be a jock to enjoy basketball. But stereotypes exist - and are often accurate - whether we like them or not. In an ad that combines basketball with taxes, this guy’s appearance and demeanor associate much more closely with the latter. We, the basketball-watching public, are supposed to be able to put ourselves in his shoes. Instead, he looks like someone who probably enjoys doing taxes and has never watched basketball in his life. His relatability further deteriorates by wearing a t-shirt featuring the TurboTax logo. I don’t own a TurboTax t-shirt. Do you?
3. The TurboTax app. Using the TurboTax app is supposed to be easy, but this ad skips over that part too nonchalantly. I assume the process is a little more involved than simply pressing an icon on your phone. The ad could have given a few more details about using the app without forfeiting the idea that filing with TurboTax is easy. Something like: “Simply scan your tax documents and answer a few simple questions, and you’re good to go!” Instead, he just opens the app (apparently the only app on his phone…suspicious???) and, voila, his taxes are done. If only.
4. Humor(?). The ad’s only attempt at humor flopped. “Now we can get back to what really matters: Watching my bracket either dominate or, let’s be honest, just kind of fall apart,” he says. Here’s an alternative: He says, smiling, “Now we can get back to what really matters: Watching my bracket dominate.” Then cut to him watching a team make a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. His expression quickly turns from a smile to a frown.
5. Video editing. I’ve gone on long enough, so I’ll merely point out that the jumps from scene to scene could have been crisper, which would have given the ad a needed dose of energy and professionalism.