Week 02 - Marketing Excellence "INTUIT"
Week 02 - Marketing Excellence "INTUIT"
Week 02 - Marketing Excellence "INTUIT"
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Intuit’s in-depth research recently led to innovative communications tools for small businesses. In 2009, Intuit
new products and services. For example, employees won a rare fight against Microsoft when the software giant
watched younger consumers get frustrated using an discontinued its Money product line after an 18-year battle
Intuit tax software program because they couldn’t take with Quicken. And the company’s expansion into mobile
pictures of their tax forms and complete their taxes via solutions has encouraged younger consumers to adopt
their mobile device. This frustration and Intuit’s keen its finance and tax software. Intuit now has more than 50
empathy for the consumer led to the development of a mobile applications, and more than 45 million customers
tax app called SnapTax. Launched in 2010, it has since have used its cloud-based services in the past five years.
been downloaded more than a million times. As Intuit expands globally, it is developing new prod-
Demand for Intuit’s products is seasonal, and its ucts for consumers worldwide. In India, for example,
marketing efforts are typically concentrated around tax Intuit launched Fasal, a service that gives hundreds of
preparation time—November through April. During that thousands of farmers up-to-date marketing information to
time, Intuit develops promotions with original equipment help them get the best price for their crops. Intuit earned
manufacturers (OEMs) and major retailers via direct mail, $4.51 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2014, primarily from
Web marketing, print, radio, and television. Quicken, QuickBooks, and TurboTax sales.
While Intuit’s marketing campaigns have evolved
over the years, positive word of mouth and exceptional Questions
customer service have been its most effective market- 1. Why are consumer research and design thinking so
ing tools since its early days. Harry Pforzheimer, chief critical to Intuit’s success?
communications officer and marketing leader, explained,
“It’s a little harder to measure but when you know that 2. What are the challenges Intuit faces in the near
roughly eight out of 10 customers bought your prod- future?
uct because of word-of-mouth that’s a pretty powerful 3. How important are Intuit’s products for mobile devices?
tool . . . So engaging with our customers directly is part
of our DNA and communicating with customers on Sources: Intuit, 2012 Annual Report; Karen E. Klein, “The Face of Entrepreneurship in 2017,”
BusinessWeek, January 31, 2007; Intuit, “Intuit Study: Next-Gen Artisans Fuel New Entrepreneurial
a timely basis is critical. And that timely basis now is Economy,” February 13, 2008; Michael Bush, “How PR Chiefs Have Shifted Toward Center of
instantaneous.” Marketing Departments,” Advertising Age, September 21, 2009; Jon Swartz, “More Marketers
Intuit has expanded globally through new product Use Social Networking to Reach Customers,” USA Today, August 28, 2009; Mark Johnson and
Joe Sinfield, “Focusing on Consumer Needs Is Not Enough,” Advertising Age, April 28, 2008;
and service offerings and through strategic acquisitions. “Intuit CEO Sees Growth in Mobile, Global Markets,” Associated Press, September 23, 2009;
Its purchase of Mint.com, for example, added value by Sarah Needleman, “How I Built It: For Intuit Co-Founder, the Numbers Add Up,” Wall Street Journal,
giving consumers another tool to analyze their spend- August 18, 2011, p. B4; Rachel Emma Siverman, “Companies Change Their Way of Thinking,” Wall
Street Journal, June 7, 2012; Robin Goldwyn Blumenthal, “Intuit: Lots More Than Quicken,” Wall
ing against a budget. Intuit also acquired Demandforce, Street Journal, September 30, 2012.
which added the ability to provide online marketing and