New Year, Old Woes

Y&R’s H&R Block Ads Focus on Tax Shifts
CHICAGO–Two things are certain in January: Tax forms are in the mail, and H&R Block commercials are on TV.
H&R Block’s 1998 campaign, from Young & Rubicam here, suggests new federal tax laws make it far too difficult for individuals to prepare tax returns on their own.
The Kansas City, Mo.-based company is again spending its entire ad budget, about $15 million, on the TV campaign, which breaks today and runs through April, said Eric Steinhouse, vice president of marketing at H&R Block.
The three spots use the tagline Y&R developed last year for the tax preparation service, “Someone to watch over you,” a line appropriated from the lilting Gershwin song of romantic longing heard throughout the commercials.