TurboTax Guides You Like a GPS

During last night's US National Figure Skating Championships, I was intrigued by Intuit's TV ad for TurboTax, which features Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.

My sister pointed out that the ad was particularly powerful because Intuit compared its software to the now-familiar experience of being guided to a destination by a GPS. Apparently the audio version of this ad has been running on radio and she's heard it numerous times.

This is a very clever way to help first-time users understand the convenience and ease of using TurboTax to get through the tax prep process as painlessly as possible.

Intuit is trying new approaches to communicating its benefits via mass media, including a cross-platform deal with NBC (which aired the figure skating competition and will feature the Olympics in February).

And Intuit's acquisition of Mint.com is expected to develop a new revenue stream while updating its product offerings, including letting go of Quicken Online in favor of the Mint site.

As a Quicken user, I'm interested to see how the company is refreshing its marketing mix and appealing to different target audiences. "Like a GPS" is a breath of fresh air in the world of financial services marketing.