H&R Block Passes on Super Bowl
Todd Wasserman/Brandweek
NEW YORK For the second year in a row, tax consultant H&R Block, once a perennial Super Bowl sponsor, will sit out the big game.
While last year the Kansas City, Mo., company blamed the relatively late Feb. 6 date of the game for the decision, the firm said it is trying a different marketing plan. Interpubic Group’s Campbell Mithun, Minneapolis, is the agency of record on H&R Block’s account.
“This year we’re looking at all of our budget and putting it where we can make a bigger difference,” said Janine Smiley, client representative. Smiley declined to outline further plans.
A longtime Super Bowl advertiser, H&R Block last aired ads during the game in 2004, featuring country music star Willie Nelson. Last year, the company ran a TV and print-push around its first-ever instant-win game, which dangled the chance to double a filer’s tax return if it was filed early.