Challenge: As traditional CPA services became commoditized and competition from non-CPA providers increased, CPAs found their image and perceived value slipping. The CPA image needed to evolve to remain relevant.

Objective: To build the CPA brand through the industry’s first ever advertising campaign.

Solution: In the developmental phases, qualitative exploratory and creative development studies were undertaken to evaluate consumers’ perceptions of the CPA role, and long-term opportunities for the profession. Insights were used by Plan-it’s principals to develop a strategic positioning platform for future communications, which emphasized the CPA role as a trusted partner for an array of business and financial planning needs, versus simply a tax and audit professional. The principals of Plan-it guided the development of the resulting campaign, based upon the concept, “You see numbers. We see opportunities.” This breakthrough campaign from HIll, Holliday launched nationally and at the state level. Phase I evaluated the impact of the work in the marketplace via a quantitative communications tracking study.

Result: The results demonstrated that the campaign dramatically improved and widened perceptions of CPAs across all critical criteria, in some instances by as much as 70 percent.