Tom Brady and Matt Ryan aside, we all know why people actually watch the Super Bowl: the commercials. And over the years, there have been some great ones. This year, at least two tax industry companies will be airing commercials during the Big Game. Here’s what we know so far.
H&R Block continues tax season with leading man Jon Hamm as its spokesperson. Hamm, probably best known for his starring role in Mad Men, will focus on the H&R Block’s new partnership with IBM Watson.
In what the tax company is calling an industry first, H&R Block and IBM development teams have trained Watson in the language of… tax. “We are introducing something this tax season that is totally new, and is in fact, a first in the tax preparation category,” said Bill Cobb, H&R Block’s president and chief executive officer. “By combining the human expertise, knowledge, and judgment of our tax professionals with the cutting-edge cognitive computing power of Watson, we are creating a future where our clients will benefit from an enhanced experience and our tax pros will have the latest technology to help them ensure every deduction and credit is found. This partnership with Watson means we can leverage the best technology available to help our clients get their taxes won.”
Here’s how it works: H&R Block uses cloud-based Watson services to understand context, interpret intent and draw connections between clients’ statements and relevant areas of their tax return. H&R Block tax professionals can then identify additional areas of possible tax implications in order to maximize client refunds or reduce their tax liabilities. The client can follow along with the tax professional on a dedicated client companion screen focusing on key areas for deductions, making the preparation process more engaging and transparent. IBM and H&R Block rolled out the new technology at approximately 10,000 branch offices across the U.S. – the largest deployment of Watson in retail locations – on February 1.
“This partnership with IBM to apply Watson represents a huge innovation in the tax preparation industry,” said Kathy Collins, H&R Block’s chief marketing and strategy officer. “We are launching it on the biggest stage – the Super Bowl – to ask consumers to rethink their current tax preparation method, and question whether they got back everything they deserved. We know there is nothing more important than optimizing their outcome – or, in other words – getting their taxes won.”
In breaking with the conventional wisdom that Super Bowl spots need to be funny or pull at the heartstrings, the H&R Block spot is reportedly neither. It’s H&R Block’s first commercial appearance in the Super Bowl in seven years. Look for the spot in the second commercial break of the first quarter.
H&R Block tax prep rival TurboTax is taking a completely different approach during Super Bowl LI. Turbo Tax will reportedly feature Humpty Dumpty (yes, the egg) in a spot promoting its tax preparation software as so easy that you can do your taxes on a wall.
The Humpty Dumpty spots for Turbo Tax are three parts in a series. In addition to the first segment, seen above, the second segment will air during the Super Bowl and the conclusion will air after the big game.
