As I was browsing the marketing blog AdWeek, I came across an interesting post on tax software brands and their battle for market share. Not only did this post remind me that I still need to file my taxes this year, it also brought up a couple of points I found to be really interesting.

First of all, the post talked about a recent commercial put out by TurboTax (embedded below) that received a lot of backlash from traditional tax service provider H&R Block as they took it as a direct hit. In my opinion, I would not argue with H&R Block in this situation. If you watch the commercial, it does seem like it is directly targeting H&R Block, but I do not necessarily think the commercial is bad; it’s just an attack at a competitor. TurboTax has its unique service that it offers its customers, and H&R Block gives people assurance that their taxes are being taken care of through human interaction. They are two different businesses, and I do not think that aggressive marketing techniques like this example are necessarily bad.

In addition, I thought the statistics the post mentioned were also interesting. It stated that the market shares of physical stores are down 19%, and that more than 37% of Americans have turned to software. To me, this definitely makes sense. With the rapid progression of technology and with the consumers moving more towards conducting their daily activities through the computer rather than in person, even the IRS is offering free software for individuals that have an income less than $57,000. To me, it appears that TurboTax is in a great position going forward, and through marketing techniques like this one where they clearly differentiate themselves from their competitors, I think that they can continue to seize market share.