You Can Do Anything, Even Your Taxes, Says TurboTax in New Ads

It’s tax season. Let’s celebrate!

Intuit’s TurboTax promises a “celebratory spot” next month for its seventh straight Super Bowl appearance. Though the tax preparation software provider and its creative agency, Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., aren’t disclosing details of their 45-second big-game play, we might infer its tone from a trio of ads unveiled yesterday. 

Themed “All People Are Tax People,” the visually appealing work seeks to inspire confidence, assuring all of us that we’re eminently capable of preparing and filing those pesky returns—with a little help from TurboTax, natch.

Amusing scenes of people accomplishing all sorts of stuff drive the 60-second anthem spot below. A guy transports his goldfish on the subway at rush hour, another dude cavorts atop a mechanical bull, and a geeky gal scores science-fair points with her ultra-expulsive volcano.

“Every day we watch the people around us do remarkable things,” says Mary-Ann Somers, senior vice president at Intuit’s Consumer Group. “Yet when it comes to their taxes and finances, these same people can feel overwhelmed and intimidated. At TurboTax, we’ve long believed that with the right tools and encouragement, people are capable of anything—including their taxes.”

The next installment focuses on high-tech wonders such as cryotherapy, clap-controlled fireplaces, beds that make themselves … and video-chatting TurboTax CPAs who review your forms before you file: 

Hey, no RoboChild among the hardware? Guess last year’s creepy Super Bowl ad contraption got consigned to the scrapheap. 

Finally, a Spanish-language commercial positions taxes as a life challenge on par with home and business ownership, or learning how to swim:

“All People Are Tax People” marks a sharp change in direction from last year’s TurboTax campaign, which hyped the company’s free edition software through the goofy repetition of a single word—“free.” Though quirky and resonant, that effort was rather limited in scope.

This time, through muted humor and an encouraging message, TurboTax convincingly portrays itself as a helpful resource for those eager to write off expensive, convoluted tax prep and crunch the numbers themselves.