H&R Block Uses YouTube Stars To Get Young People Excited About Taxes

It’s tax season, and the US’ largest tax prep company is using a YouTube-based strategy to get young people jazzed up about the prospect of filing their returns. H&R Block has launched Billion Back Records, a new “label” that will feature music videos from ten different YouTube creators.

The ten participating YouTube channels represent an eclectic group ranging from rockers to vloggers. The honey-voiced Clara Chung leads things off, with Pomplamoose, Dia Frampton, Julia Sheer, iJustine, Joey Graceffa, Jason Chen, Jimmy Wong, Meghan Camarena, and Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers  right behind her. “I’m so excited to be working with H&R Block on a video celebrating how good it feels to get money back,” said Chung, “showing how taxes can actually be fun!”

The individual videos are housed on each creator’s individual channel, though they are funded by H&R Block and aggregated together on the Billion Back Records homepage, which is also offering prizes to anyone who tweets about

“what makes you a rock star.” Prizes include a gold-plated iPad and a guitar with a money design on its head.

Taxes, unfortunately for H&R Block, will never be super cool, but H&R Block’s campaign may at least make them tolerable for some. The company’s plan to turn its dull, red tape-filled process into something Millennials can get worked up about is reminiscent of the Obama administration’s attempt to use YouTube to excite young people about the Affordable Care Act. When compared to that campaign, Billion Back Records’s branding seems much more retrained. New music videos for it will be released over the next couple weeks.