Chevrolet — Test Drive With a Purpose
Turning dread into anticipation by reframing tax season as a moment of financial joy
Cultural Insight & Visibility / Regenerative Brand Design & Innovation / Behavior Change & Cultural Activation
Tax Season Isn’t the Problem. The Culture Around It Is.
For most Americans, tax season brings one dominant emotion: anxiety.
Paperwork, penalties, and the fear of getting something wrong overshadow a simple truth:
89% of Americans receive a refund.
Often a meaningful one: a “13th paycheck,” a stability boost, a chance to breathe.
Yet culturally, tax season is coded as stressful, confusing, and punitive. The emotional reality of dread eclipses the financial reality of joy.
Cultural truth:
When a positive outcome is wrapped in a negative narrative, people lose the ability to see possibility.
This invisibility: the untold emotional upside of tax season, became H&R Block’s opening.
I — INSIGHT
From Fear Season → Extra Money Season
H&R Block recognized the opportunity to shift the dominant narrative:
Tax season is not a burden, it's a bonus.
This meant reframing:
the emotional experience of filing
the language used to describe the season
the rituals surrounding it
the cultural story shaping expectations
Instead of positioning themselves as problem-solvers for a dreaded task, H&R Block reframed tax season as a moment of celebration, anticipation, and empowerment.
New narrative: “Tax season is amazing. It’s extra money season.”
R — REFRAME
“It’s Tax Season”: A Joy-Centered Cultural Activation
H&R Block launched It’s Tax Season, a national initiative designed to replace fear with financial joy through human-centered, emotionally intelligent interventions.
Reciprocal Insights Method™:
A participatory research model that invited people to openly share their emotions, beliefs, and stories around taxes. It uncovered the psychological triggers driving dread and the emotional opportunities driving joy.
Future States Canvas:
A strategic foresight tool used to imagine a future where tax season feels:
positive
celebratory
digitally supportive
emotionally grounding
This vision guided both the creative approach and product innovation.
Vision-to-Reality Blueprinting
Translating insight into action, H&R Block developed:
celebratory in-office moments
a Refund Countdown app
local community events
digital storytelling that centered joy
These interventions embodied a future where tax season was something to look forward to — not fear.
Social Participation & Storytelling
H&R Block invited customers to share their refund stories using #RefundJoy and #TaxSeasonCelebration, creating a groundswell of real cultural evidence that the narrative was shifting.
I — INTERVENE
Reframing Emotion
→ Reframing Behavior
The results demonstrated that emotional rebranding and cultural reframing can reshape how people behave:
Massive Customer Engagement: Celebratory events and social storytelling generated significant buzz and participation.
Stronger Brand Perception: H&R Block became associated not with tax stress but with financial uplift and customer care.
New Customer Growth: First-time filers were drawn to a more positive, supportive experience.
Retention Lift: Joy, affirmation, and ease created loyalty.
4× Increase in Gen Z Consideration: Younger filers responded strongly to the emotionally intelligent repositioning.
2× Growth in Online Filing: Digital adoption doubled, signaling a shift toward modernized participation.
Regenerative Outcome:
By revealing the hidden joy in an emotionally fraught ritual, H&R Block didn’t just boost engagement, they restored financial empowerment to a moment that had long been defined by fear.
They transformed tax season from a cultural burden into a cultural celebration.
S — SUSTAIN
“H&R Block’s Year-Round Strategy Is Changing Tax Filing ”
“H&R Block Embraces the Certainty of Tax Season in New Campaign”
“It’s Tax Season! H&R Block is Showing Why Tax Season is an Occasion Worth Celebrating”