Advertising: Jackson Hewitt Returns To Claims About Returns

- Mike Beirne

Jackson Hewitt is returning to a familiar theme for a new campaign breaking this week: We will get you bigger returns than the other guys.

A campaign themed "Get more in return," via DeVito Verdi New York, shows four scenarios in which consumers are overcome with regret after someone tells them how the tax preparation giant helped them get a larger return. Ads flag such special services as "Fast Money Now" refund loans, which double-checks returns and guarantees against filing errors.

"There's nothing worse than being in the locker room at work and someone says they got a tax refund [when] you didn't get one," said Andy Brief, director of account services at DeVito Verde.

Jackson Hewitt's main competition is category leader H&R Block, which is continuing a campaign themed "I got people" from Campbell Mithun, Minneapolis, that shows ordinary people touting support from H&R's team of experts.

Jackson also faces competition from tax prep software providers and independent tax preparers and accountants. In 2007, about 62% of individual income taxes were done via a paid preparer, per the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington.

One spot from Parsippany, N.J.-based-Jackson Hewitt features an elderly blues musician telling his bandmate that Jackson Hewitt "dug deep" and found all sorts of deductions for performing artists. The bandmate, upset that he's not getting a tax refund, smashes his guitar. Voiceover: "Come in now or you'll wish you did later." Other scenarios show a paramedic, sushi chef and office workers referring Jackson Hewitt to others.

Support includes TV, print, radio and outdoor. Budget was not disclosed. Jackson's media spend was $25.1 million in 2006 and $29.9 million January-October 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The effort comes after the Justice Department filed lawsuits last April accusing more than 125 franchised Jackson Hew-itt offices of helping falsify tax returns. Jackson Hewitt cooperated with an IRS inquiry and even retained former IRS commissioner Fred T. Goldberg to head an internal investigation.

mbeirne@brandweek.com