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Behind the Work in association withThe Immortal Awards
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Why H&R Block Humorously Heralded the Arrival of Canadian Tax Season

28/02/2023
Advertising Agency
Montreal, Canada
1.3k
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Sid Lee’s Matt Fraracci and H&R Block’s Hilary Zaharko discuss the value of putting a very human face on tax season, writes LBB’s Josh Neufeldt

It is once again tax season. Returns are being filed, credits are being claimed, and - perhaps most excitingly - plans are being made for how the refunded money will be put to good use. 

However, as nice as it is to get a bump in the bank account, tax season can still be, to put it mildly, not the most enjoyable use of one’s time. Making sure the right lines are filled out, triple checking that the numbers are correct - it can be confusing on a good day, and absolutely overwhelming on a bad one. 

The operative word is ‘can’. Using a professional service can not only take the tax-filing burden off one’s shoulders, but - in a time when Canadians are facing the highest inflation rates of the past 40 years - ensure a better tax refund than what a self-filer might get on their own. With this in mind, tax preparation company H&R Block continued their partnership with Sid Lee, launching the ‘Get What’s Yours’ campaign. Spotlighting two online videos, the first, ‘GovCoin’ features two crypto enthusiasts discussing the novelty of physical cash on a podcast, while the second, ‘Quiet Quitting’, features a worker resigning from her job at barely-audible levels. 

Meant to poke fun and provide levity for a subject that doesn’t always feel like a joking matter, the campaign will run until May 1st, 2023, and is accompanied by radio, digital and social media ads, as well as OOH.

LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Sid Lee creative director Matt Fraracci, and H&R Block VP marketing Hilary Zaharko to discuss how this campaign came to be, and why a humorous approach was the best choice for the job. 


LBB> This campaign represents the continuation of a longtime partnership between Sid Lee and H&R Block. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?


Matt> This year’s brief was a continuation of the ‘Life And Taxes’ campaign which highlights the ubiquity of taxes in daily life, and ultimately helps us put a very human face on tax season.



LBB> ‘Get What’s Yours’ acknowledges that now more than ever, Canadians are in need of a quality tax refund. What was your research process like to achieve this insight, and how did the results factor into the creative process?


Hilary> This past year, as we’ve emerged from the pandemic, we’ve heard a lot of conversation around inflation and debt levels. Along with that, there’s been a lot of new credits released by the provincial and federal governments which require Canadians to have a current tax return filed in order to receive them. However, many Canadians don’t fully understand the various tax implications, which means they’re leaving money on the table. 



LBB> This campaign serves as an extension of the ‘Get What’s Yours’ platform. How did keeping in line with the established tone factor into the creative process, and what did you do to ensure this variation would provide a fresh twist? 


Matt> Humour is pretty essential during tax season, we think. As such, H&R Block is ‘smart-funny’, lighthearted and sometimes silly in its communications, but always compelling in the takeaway: getting you a big tax return. To provide a fresh twist to the work, we leveraged what we saw as the most interesting cultural trends of 2023.

To this end, the first thing we did was ask ourselves what people are talking about these days. The ‘quiet quitting’ revolution and cryptocurrency seeping into the mainstream were two themes that quickly rose to the surface. We had other thoughts around voice assistants and parodying influencers, but once we put pen to paper, it became clear which ones were going to be the funniest. 

Hilary> Good advertising should always establish continuity - so you have brand recognition - and something that feels fresh and/or current to keep you interested. This campaign strikes a balance of both. 



LBB> In particular, the ‘NFT of a loon on it’ line was super funny. What was the writing process like, and how did this line come to pass? 


Matt> The subreddit ‘r/wallstreetbets’ is a gold mine into the lexicon of crypto and meme stock investors. We were really entertained by the threads, and spent a good deal of time in that subreddit informing our writing. 

And, to answer the first question, referring to a regular image as an NFT just felt like the right thing to do after referring to a Loonie as a ‘GovCoin’. 


LBB> Who directed the spots, and what made them perfect for the job? 


Matt> Adam & Dave from The Salmon directed the spots. Those guys breathe comedy. Every addition they had to our original scripts made the spots funnier and funnier. If you ever get the chance to work with them, do it! 



LBB> The actors are brilliant! Who did you cast, what were you looking for, and what made these selections the right ones for the spots?


Matt> With ‘GovCoin’ we casted for two… let’s call them crypto influencers, who understood the culture we were satirising. Both of the actors could have held their own with Joe Rogan on a JRE podcast, and we knew they were perfect for the spot. For ‘Quiet Quitting’, we were looking for someone who had great voice control (obviously), as well as someone with funny facial expressions and body language.



LBB> Where did you shoot, how long did it take, and what was the experience like? 


Matt> Each spot was a one day shoot. We shot ‘GovCoin’ in a warehouse located in ‘The Annex’ neighbourhood of Toronto. It was cold, wet, and the basement unintentionally looked like a set for a horror film. But, we were laughing all day and had a great time. 

For ‘Quiet Quitting’, we shot that in an office space in Mississauga. It was a lot more comfortable! 



LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?


Matt> With any project that involves multiple cutdowns, you run into the issue of getting stuff that’s short enough to fit into a 10-second or 6-second version, especially with dialogue-driven spots. We had to speed up the pace of talent for some of those shorter versions. 

Another challenge was getting a good volume level for ‘Quiet Quitting’, which we solved by grabbing some wild audio-only takes at the end of the shoot at ASMR level volume.



LBB> Did you learn any lessons from the making of this campaign? If so, please tell us about them! 


Matt> Making this campaign was a reminder to try to be process-oriented rather than goal-oriented. Goals are obviously important, but once you achieve them, they’re fleeting. Process is 99% of the work, and we thoroughly enjoyed the process of this project. 

Hilary> Recently, we moved into some new spaces like TikTok, where we adapted the campaign to suit the platform. While we’ve always done adaptations, discovering what TikTok ads perform well has been a fun learning experience! 

Also, we like to repurpose creative. That’s one of the advantages of having a long-standing campaign; assets can be used from year to year. Plus, at H&R Block, we have the advantage of not advertising year-round, so older content can feel both fresh and familiar. 



LBB> How have people responded to this campaign? 


Matt> Overall, the response has been good, and the OLV in particular has been quite received very positively. ‘Quiet Quitting’ aired in Canada during the Superbowl, and seemed to strike a chord with people. 

Hilary> We’ve had a really positive response! Our social channels show people are connecting to the humour, and even internally, our staff (of which we have over 10,000) have a lot of love for the campaign. 



LBB> Is there anything you’d like to add? 


Matt> It’s next to impossible to do good work without great clients. The H&R Block team is very smart, passionate, and has a great sense of humour, but above all they’re trusting. I don’t think the work would have been what it is without a strong client-agency relationship. 

Hilary> From our campaigns, it’s obvious that H&R Block is expert in all things taxes (this is the only thing we do, after all). And given that everyone’s tax situation is unique, we strive to show a variety of life situations in our campaigns - all with warmth and good nature. That’s how we support our clients, so we’re reflecting it in our creative. 

Beyond that, going into tax season, file your taxes and get to it early. For most people (almost 80% of Canadians), you’ll get a refund. That refund can be your biggest pay cheque of the year!


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