TurboTax has released its 2021 Super Bowl ad—a 45-second comedy spot that builds on the brand’s broader campaign to position its tax experts as accessible advisers for everyday people.
Titled “Spreading Tax Expertise Across the Land,” the lighthearted and quirky spot begins on a cattle farm, where scores of accountants on self-propelled desks are sweeping across a field with the vibe of an alien invasion.
“In some places, they tax flatulence,” says one expert named Eric as the camera pans in. “The kind that comes from cows.”
He then busts through the wall of a home into a 100th birthday celebration. “If you’re 100 in New Mexico, you’ll pay no state taxes now,” he adds, before moving through a woodland to explain that, in Hawaii, “there’s a credit for maintaining an exceptional tree.”
The spot, which was created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland and directed by Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit Filmworks, will air during the second quarter of the game and will be TurboTax’s eighth consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl.
It builds on a campaign that launched last month with a series of four ads that position the brand’s online tax advisers as able to help people decode the tax system, and work out what they owe, “even in unique situations.”
Titled “Straight to You,” the 30-second spots, in English and Spanish, featured clowns, fisherman and musicians asking about what they can and can’t deduct from their tax bill.
The brand also renewed its official partnership with the NFL through 2022.
Last year, the brand’s Super Bowl ad featured a rap dance number, “All People Are Tax People,” a playful anthem of encouragement to taxpayers who harbor anxiety around the complexities of filing.
For all the latest Super Bowl advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2021 Ad Tracker and the rest of our stories about the Big Game. And join us on the evening of Feb. 7 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials anywhere.
