This document summarizes an unconventional marketing campaign by H&R Block to increase brand engagement among young adults before tax day. The campaign centered around creating a fictional organization called the American Mustache Institute that advocated for tax deductions for mustache grooming. This silly narrative was spread through online media and social networks. Traditional media then validated the story, increasing its visibility. The campaign saw over 255 million media impressions and a significant boost in H&R Block's brand perception and number of tax returns processed compared to previous years. It demonstrated how creative, humorous content can break through clutter when distributed effectively across channels.

1. BREAKING THROUGH THE
CLUTTER
In today’s increasingly complex media environment

2. @AaronPerlut
Started in TV 20 years ago.
Consume irresponsible volumes of bacon.
Self loathing “PR guy.”
Recognized facial hair culture expert.
Write for Forbes and ESPN.com.
Periodically smell terrific.
Currently manage comms in odd mix of spaces:
cable/internet/phone, financial svcs, solar, taxes,
NFL, men’s grooming, big data technology.
Dress like a Panda once weekly.

3. 20 YEAR CYCLE
1992
2012

4. CHAIN OF EVENTS
Technology drastically alters media
consumption habits.
Consumers more interested in seeing
what their friends are posting.
Craigslist kills newspaper revenue,
online ad buys and digital marketing
spends sap broadcast revenue.
With a smaller audience and less
revenue, traditional media begins to
shrink.

5. EARNED MEDIA

6. KINDA WORTHLESS
News Conferen
ce

7. WHAT DOES BREAK THROUGH?
Deep relationships.
Perfect timing.
Cause / philanthropy.
Humor.
Story narrative.
Creativity.

8. TRIANGULATE
The Cycle
Create the story online,
traditional media validates
offline, search elevates visibility
and defines—driving more
traffic.

9. THE HAIRIEST CAMPAIGN EVER
With a goal to increase brand engagement before tax day

10. The Narrative…

11. AMERICAN UGLINESS
In the 1960s, the U.S.
government tired of hearing
citizens abroad referred to
as “Ugly Americans” and
engaged the American
Mustache Institute to
improve good looks -- thus
reversing a harmful trend.

12. UPHOLDING THE PROMISE
• AMI improved American good looks
by 38 percent according to AMI’s
nuclear mustacheology dept.
• In the 1970s, all men had three
things – perm, turtleneck, mustache
• But those good looks came at a
price.

13. THE STACHE ACT
Groundbreaking white paper from tax
policy professor Dr. John Yeutter of
Northeastern State University.
Outlined an equitable tax path toward
economic reciprocation — rewarding
people who aid American good looks
and the economy by embracing facial
hair.
Seeks annual $250 deduction for
expenditures on mustache grooming
supplies in determination of Adjusted
Gross Income.

14. PRESIDENT’S DAY LAUNCH
NOTE: Most hypocritical moment of today’s program

15. THE MEDIA NOTICED

16. DRIVING CONSUMERS TO H&R BLOCK

17. WHERE WE ENTERTAINED THEM

19. MARCHING TO THE FINISH

20. WHY IT WORKED
Ridiculous…..but not.
Charitable.
Funny.
Perplexing.
Different.
Improved good looks by 38 percent.

21. WHY BLOCK DID IT
Perceived as a stodgy, older brand.
Little recognition amongst 21-35-year-
olds.
Connect with the demographic on
their turf, in their tone.
Improve overall brand perception.
Creative push though tax season.
Improve good looks by 38 percent.

22. WHY BLOCK DID IT
100,000 monthly unique visitors to
AmericanMustacheInstitute.org.
Content focuses on humor-based
facial hair advocacy.
85 percent of site traffic is male 21-
35.
Heavily engaged and mobilized
social media fans.
More than 1 billion media
impressions over a four-year span.

23. NO, REALLY

24. OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
• Forbes: “Since the endorsement announcement in mid-
February, along with the supported cause, Buzz for the
brand among young and middle-aged adults has
increased. Among adults 18-49, H&R Block’s Buzz score
has jumped from 6 to 20 by the end of February.”
• Ragan’s PR Daily: “This campaign uses Facebook and
word of mouth marketing in some interesting ways, but its
genius lies in its insight into its audience's behavior.”
• Jason Falls: “It is, quite frankly, a milestone in content
marketing. A big, successful corporation is breaking the
mold of its own, traditional voice and showing a ton of
personality.”

25. SURFACE RESULTS
255 MILLION media impressions.
91 major national media
placements.
50,000 visits to the Facebook
application.
157,000 separate points of
engagement
Good looks all around.

26. WORD OF MOUTH

27. Turbotax parent co. Intuit had its share
price downgraded by analysts due to
increased marketing efforts by
competitors including H&R Block.

28. H&R Block processed more tax returns
than anytime in its history, a 4.5
percent sales increase from 2011.

29. MY WORTHLESS OPINION
Block and tackle PR tactics don’t cut it today.
Relationships remain invaluable.
Creative thinking and humor can go a long way
if used appropriately.
Triangulate – build first in digital, validate in.
Draw direct line between marketing and
business results.

30. Thank You