TaxACT.com-"Totally Free"

Feels good, totally free

By: Taylor Pytlik 

             Every year in April it is required that all United States citizens complete and submit their Federal Taxes, the tax code is extremely complex and can be very confusing. If your tax forms are incorrectly or fraudulently completed, the I.R.S. will audit you. This is many people’s worst nightmare. Tax-ACT attempts to solve this problem by suggesting that you’ll be “free” of these worries because you’ll know you can get your taxes done on time, helping you avoid the dreaded auditing process. This particular commercial from Tax-ACT uses point of view, as the desired effect is to feel as if “we”, the viewer, experience the series of events taking place the same way the boy experiences them. However the fact that advertising is practically en-avoidable you should think before you cash in.

For instance this commercial opens with showing a close up on the kind of bubbles created when coming up from underneath the water, a boy with a semi-confused face pops up and starts taking in his surroundings which quickly imply he has to pee. First he see’s a stream of water coming from a fountain statue of a boy peeing; his confused look starts to turn into a fearful look. Secondly he see’s a man filling up the pool, which also creates a stream of water. Instantly the boys face starts to show an increasing intensity of panic, he starts to run to the bathroom but just as he arrives ah girl cuts in front of him; slamming the door in his face. It shows his face in uneasy disappointment and then him dashing up the stairs to the other bathroom to find it too is occupied. He does a quick dance of frustration and runs back down the stairs. As he quickly rounds the corner to find a place to pee he catches a glimpse of the windows now being washed with a hose, this ignites his instincts to grab the corner to consider a potted plant inside. He decides against it and starts to rush to the pool. Along the way he sees the hose spraying the window again, the washer draining into the sink and a teakettle whistling with a stream of steam. Finally he makes it to the pool and his face slowly turns to a sign of relief. Then it turns to a close-up of a man on his computer with the homepage for TaxACT.com displayed and his mouse over the “totally free” logo. It switches back to the pool to show the girl who took the first bathroom jumping back in the pool as the little boy just giggles to him-self. To show the simplicity of TaxACT.com their homepage to their website is shown on a laptop. On the view of the man using the website in the commercial it conveys their main ideas: the name of their site, what they can help with “Federal Return” and how they can help you “Totally Free” and then before the commercial ends their website address is shown in the bottom corner for additional advertising. The minimum text used is to convey the simplicity of using TaxACT.com.

Sound elements are a crucial factor through out this commercial. In the first scene all you hear is the sound of bubbles and then two separate moments a water stream hitting water. Then a jazzy band song begins to emphasize the little boys race to the bathroom. You hear the first bathroom door close and the music expressing a climaxing sense of urgency. Next you hear the music insinuating the sound of little boy knocking on the upstairs bathroom only to find he is denied. As the boy does a quick wiggle dance the music discreetly enters an “ooh” sound. The music continues to insist the race is still on. You hear the song decreasing into a few dramatic beats as the sound of water spraying against the window and the washer draining into the sink are emphasized. Finally the music has two concluding beats as a teakettle whistles the boy reaches the pool with an automated splash. The voice-over then opens by monotonously saying, “Totally free, feels good. Tax-ACT: federal return, totally free. Go to TaxAct.com and feel the free.”

Although this commercial has a strong appeal to pathos the logos appeal doesn’t defy Aristotle’s logic. The emotions override the logic in this commercial creating an invalid conclusion. My interpretation of this commercial was that their services are the perfect solution for someone looking for a quick and easy way to do your taxes. However, this crudely humorous clip may have overshadowed the crucial message. This type of advertising is typical of Super Bowl commercials as the goal is to get the viewer’s attention as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the brief and childish manner in which the message was portrayed is at loss for appealing to logic.  The commercial itself is a bit crude, it does appeal to people in a very direct way by reminding us all of a terribly uncomfortable feeling. TaxAct attempts to make a comparison to the terrible state of anxious distress that occurs when having to wait for a bathroom to the frantic, worrisome months of tax season. By identifying with the viewer on such a basic and personal level, this can give some creditability to the commercial’s overall message.

The commercial explains little, if anything at all, about their services. It simply claims that the service is “free” and that you will feel “free” knowing the annual tax burden has been eased off of your shoulders. The ad, despite its entertaining and simple message, does not constitute a sound appeal. It informs the viewer absolutely nothing and simply directs them towards the company’s website to learn about the services offered. This lack of crucial information would likely make the commercial unsuccessful at soliciting new clients; as it is commonly viewed as a crudely humorous clip instead of an effective sales pitch aimed at a given demographic. Unfortunately, the creators of this commercial, albeit well intentioned, certainly missed finding the middle ground between entertaining and informative. Missing the critical balance of these two integral parts of any media campaign can prove to be inevitable folly. The need for a two-part approach is especially critical to television ads; the advertiser needs to grab, and hold onto, the viewers’ attention all the while educating them on their product and/or services offered. The Tax-Act commercial DOES capture the attention of the audience quiet well, but it fails to convey their overall message in an efficient and educating fashion; ultimately leaving viewers somewhat entertained but still aware of their terrible anxiety in regards to tax season, a problem that Tax-ACT, to their own dismay, was not able to solve.