H&R Block
A Fair Shot
Then, we launched “A Fair Shot” on March 1, 2022, announcing $1 million in sponsorships for female collegiate athletes starting with basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Zia Cooke — leaders on and off the court. The full female roster was built and revealed over the following weeks, spanning a variety of sports, universities and geographic locations. Each athlete was asked to use her voice to authentically speak about equity in college athletics and their NIL experiences. Not only were they receptive to a sponsorship, they were passionate about the path they were helping pave for the next generation. As the athletes announced their partnerships with H&R Block on their social platforms, it grabbed the attention of teammates, coaches and fans. Equally important, the campaign grabbed the attention of a purpose-driven Gen Z audience, the audience most important for the continued growth of H&R Block. “A Fair Shot” culminated in early April as college basketball championship weekend became the topic of conversation. H&R Block invited people to “Imagine a World” in which women could get everything they deserve, activating a TikTok Hashtag Challenge (#AFairShotwithBlock) featuring South Carolina Gamecock star Zia Cooke. The Hashtag Challenge amplified the voices of our women athlete partners and prompted TikTokers to join in.
Struggling with relevance and favorability among Gen Z, H&R Block and came to us with an ask to help them stand apart amongst young people. We began by identifying an issue that was naturally tied to H&R Block’s business: In 2021, the new NCAA name, image, likeness (NIL) rule turned college athletes everywhere into small-business owners. It quickly became clear these new revenue streams would lead to new and complicated taxes. Rumors swirled around seven-figure deals for QBs who hadn’t played a quarter in a college game. But women college athletes were not getting the same opportunities as men. Male athletes received 67 percent of the total compensation in collegiate sports leaving female college athletes at only 33 percent. We quickly saw an opportunity for H&R Block to help women, to become the NIL tax authority and to show up in cultural conversation like they never had before.
Awards
Webby Best Social Campaign 2023
SABRE Diamond: Superior Achievement for Brand-Building
SABRE Gold: Marketing to Women
SABRE IN2: Experiential Marketing: Sponsorships
PRSA Two Silver, Three Bronze Anvil Awards
PR Week Campaign of the Year
PR Week Best in Integration
PR Week Best in Financial Communications
+Many more
Effectiveness
The program generated significant results positioning H&R Block as a modern and inclusive company breaking out of financial-only media into sports and lifestyle media to make a cultural difference. Media coverage resulted in more than 1 billion impressions, the TikTok Hashtag Challenge racked up more than 10 billion video views, exceeding benchmarks. Net trust and favorability for the brand jumped double-digit points with Gen Z, showing positive engagement with a younger audience.