H&R Block Using the Social Ecosystem to Increase Brand Consideration May 13, 2008

Introduction H&R Block WHQ in Kansas City, MO Revenue: $4 billion in FY 2007

H&R Block

WHQ in Kansas City, MO

Revenue: $4 billion in FY 2007

What You Think You Know about H&R Block Misperceptions: H&R Block is not for complex returns H&R Block is not for DIYers MISSION: Increase consideration of our brand by communicating that H&R Block stands for Expertise, Advocacy and Innovation

Misperceptions:

H&R Block is not for complex returns

H&R Block is not for DIYers

MISSION: Increase consideration of our brand by communicating that H&R Block stands for Expertise, Advocacy and Innovation

How We Approached the Solution Hard to get past strong brand associations in banner advertising. H&R Block Online messaging is likely perceived has H&R Block retail messaging Communicate through context Create unexpected and more meaningful interactions with customers Expertise: Freely share our rich tax content and advice Advocacy: Give our audience tools and tips to help them put our expertise on their side Innovation: Associate our brand with current and useful technology We don’t have the “luxury” of testing one thing at a time, due to seasonality; so jumped in to lots of things to get the learnings Social media efforts represented about 5% of total budget (much of which can be leveraged in the future) Created assets that could be used across multiple platforms (where appropriate) to get the most mileage from our investment

Hard to get past strong brand associations in banner advertising. H&R Block Online messaging is likely perceived has H&R Block retail messaging

Communicate through context

Create unexpected and more meaningful interactions with customers

Expertise: Freely share our rich tax content and advice

Advocacy: Give our audience tools and tips to help them put our expertise on their side

Innovation: Associate our brand with current and useful technology

We don’t have the “luxury” of testing one thing at a time, due to seasonality; so jumped in to lots of things to get the learnings

Social media efforts represented about 5% of total budget (much of which can be leveraged in the future)

Created assets that could be used across multiple platforms (where appropriate) to get the most mileage from our investment

Leveraging the Social Ecosystem to Increase Consideration of the H&R Block Brand Video Syndication Widgets Leveraging the Social Ecosystem to: Create unexpected & meaningful interactions with customers Communicate brand attributes of expertise, advocacy & innovation Introduce H&R Block products Listen to what customer have to say about the brand

Leveraging the Social Ecosystem to:

Create unexpected & meaningful interactions with customers

Communicate brand attributes of expertise, advocacy & innovation

Introduce H&R Block products

Listen to what customer have to say about the brand

Digits: H&R Block’s Own Community Site (beta) http://digits.hrblock.com/ A tax forum…and then some Blog posts (text and video) Open for comments (text and video) Podcasts (tax tips) Videos Widgets Tax calculators and tools Product information

A tax forum…and then some

Blog posts (text and video)

Open for comments (text and video)

Podcasts (tax tips)

Videos

Widgets

Tax calculators and tools

Product information

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/HRBlockonline Kicked off with product giveaways Tools and games to help fans learn about tax deductions and personal finance Forum for asking tax-related questions, talking about refund plans, etc. Cross-promoted Digits, Second Life

Kicked off with product giveaways

Tools and games to help fans learn about tax deductions and personal finance

Forum for asking tax-related questions, talking about refund plans, etc.

Cross-promoted Digits, Second Life

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/trumangreene Truman represents the brand: not sexy; really wants to help. He’s an advocate. YouTube brand channel, 16 videos in 14 weeks Homepage ad kicked it off, gained subscribers Linked to Truman’s MySpace page “ What H&R Block has done is create an obvious fake persona for a social media campaign, but done so transparently. They’ve nailed a fun, off-beat spokesperson who is over-the-top corporate shill, but still engaging and entertaining.” Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer

Truman represents the brand: not sexy; really wants to help. He’s an advocate.

YouTube brand channel, 16 videos in 14 weeks

Homepage ad kicked it off, gained subscribers

Linked to Truman’s MySpace page

“ What H&R Block has done is create an obvious fake persona for a social media campaign, but done so transparently. They’ve nailed a fun, off-beat spokesperson who is over-the-top corporate shill, but still engaging and entertaining.”

Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer

MySpace http://www.myspace.com/trumangreene Carried over the Truman persona, but in a much deeper way: blog posts, photos, discussions Leveraged the same widgets that help customers learn how to make the most of their tax situation in engaging way

Carried over the Truman persona, but in a much deeper way: blog posts, photos, discussions

Leveraged the same widgets that help customers learn how to make the most of their tax situation in engaging way

eHarmony Sponsored a series of tax posts within eHarmony’s new Advice section Offered personalized tax advice through eHarmony discussion boards: post a tax question and get an answer from H&R Block within 24 hours

Sponsored a series of tax posts within eHarmony’s new Advice section

Offered personalized tax advice through eHarmony discussion boards: post a tax question and get an answer from H&R Block within 24 hours

Second Life http://slurl.com/secondlife/HR%20Block/112/52/38 Open office hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during tax season (including live DJs and a dance floor) Live tax advice from H&R Block Tax Professionals in avatar form Tax trivia contests with Linden Dollar prizes Streaming media in auditorium featured our video assets

Open office hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during tax season (including live DJs and a dance floor)

Live tax advice from H&R Block Tax Professionals in avatar form

Tax trivia contests with Linden Dollar prizes

Streaming media in auditorium featured our video assets

Twitter http://twitter.com/hrblock girlinblack @ hrblock : sup. You know anything about tax filing for part-year residents in the Commonwealth of Virginia? :) jamuraa @ HRblock does TaxCut online support amended filings? I just opened my K-1 after I filed :( drewolanoff @ HRBlock I have to do taxes for 3 different states. PA, WA, NY. Help. Please. Help. I'm serious. Please. Help. drewolanoff @ HRBlock contacted me within 5 minutes of my tweet the other day, and called and emailed within an hour of that. Unreal!! stevehall @ HRBlock well who knew HRBlock was on Twitter? lol. Good stuff. Thanks but I'm on the home stretch with TurboTax. I'll check tips though Created consideration with prospects Jillfoster @ HRBlock Thx for tax info link & calming vibes on tax stress. Found a tax office in Virginia to help Provided product help Fulfilled on brand promise of advocacy Created a brand evangelist

Common Craft Paperworks Movie Along with the widgets, Facebook applications and Truman videos, we also commissioned a video from Common Craft to communicate the value of our new product, Tango The video was used on H&R Block, Facebook, Digits and Tango has it’s own page on YouTube and received over 10,000 views

Along with the widgets, Facebook applications and Truman videos, we also commissioned a video from Common Craft to communicate the value of our new product, Tango

The video was used on H&R Block, Facebook, Digits and Tango has it’s own page on YouTube and received over 10,000 views

Results Community Sites Over 570k views of Truman Green videos Almost 700k pageviews on Digits.hrblock.com Over 400k exposures and 60k interactions with H&R Block marketing widgets HR Block Island listed as one of the top eight corporate sites by Computer World Almost 4,000 friends on MySpace Over 1,000 fans on Facebook Nearly 350 brand followers on Twitter with over 150 conversations conducted through tax season Brand metrics Total Brand Awareness for TaxCut from H&R Block increased 52% Among our target audience (digital users) internet advertising awareness increased 171% Among our target audience (digital users) word of mouth awareness increased 55% Won’t have consideration numbers until late May

Community Sites

Over 570k views of Truman Green videos

Almost 700k pageviews on Digits.hrblock.com

Over 400k exposures and 60k interactions with H&R Block marketing widgets

HR Block Island listed as one of the top eight corporate sites by Computer World

Almost 4,000 friends on MySpace

Over 1,000 fans on Facebook

Nearly 350 brand followers on Twitter with over 150 conversations conducted through tax season

Brand metrics

Total Brand Awareness for TaxCut from H&R Block increased 52%

Among our target audience (digital users) internet advertising awareness increased 171%

Among our target audience (digital users) word of mouth awareness increased 55%

Won’t have consideration numbers until late May

Results Online and Industry Influencers Robert Scoble (FastCompany.tv, Scobleizer.com, author of Naked Conversations) Shel Israel (Global Neighborhoods; an online video blog series, author of Naked Conversations) Jeremiah Owyang (Forrester Research) Rodney Rumford (FaceReviews.com) Chris Heur (Social Media Club) TaxMama (Taxmama.com and syndicated reviews) Traditional Press Wall Street Journal (two articles) Brand Week Kansas City Star Promo Interactive PR Week Blog posts Over 6mm impressions and 20mm inbound links

Online and Industry Influencers

Robert Scoble (FastCompany.tv, Scobleizer.com, author of Naked Conversations)

Shel Israel (Global Neighborhoods; an online video blog series, author of Naked Conversations)

Jeremiah Owyang (Forrester Research)

Rodney Rumford (FaceReviews.com)

Chris Heur (Social Media Club)

TaxMama (Taxmama.com and syndicated reviews)

Traditional Press

Wall Street Journal (two articles)

Brand Week

Kansas City Star

Promo Interactive

PR Week

Blog posts

Over 6mm impressions and 20mm inbound links

Results Digits nabbed good rankings on popular “AMT Information” term when this was big news Listings for our Truman Greene took over the whole SERP. Poor Truman Greene, VP of HR at Dallas machinery company fell to the bottom

What we learned Offer value: functionality, service, entertainment Be a person when talking to customers. Humor helps! Advertising in social media is both necessary and risky. Entertainment works best. Your customers don’t know your brand silos. Social media can represent a very small percentage of budget, but will likely represent a large percentage of time

Offer value: functionality, service, entertainment

Be a person when talking to customers. Humor helps!

Advertising in social media is both necessary and risky. Entertainment works best.

Your customers don’t know your brand silos.

Social media can represent a very small percentage of budget, but will likely represent a large percentage of time

Where to Find Me Paula Drum VP of Marketing Email: [email_address] Twitter: http://twitter.com/pauladrum Facebook: Blog:

Paula Drum

VP of Marketing

Email: [email_address]

Twitter: http://twitter.com/pauladrum

Facebook:

Blog: