H&R Block: You got people? Jan28 '07

As "tax time" begins to approach, I've started receiving various correspondence in the mail, advertising for tax software and tax services - most notably TurboTax and H&R Block.

I couldn't help but notice H&R Block's latest tag line: "You got people."

H&R Block advertisement

I cringed when I read that, because it's terrible English. I don't think it's necessarily wrong to say this, but it just sounds awkward, slang, sloppy - or (for lack of a better word) "ghetto."

The phrase should be "You've got people," much like "You've got mail."

I've also seen other H&R Block ads that build off this phrase, using "I got people."

Now... this may seem like a subtle thing to most people, but I believe it's important to convey an image of "professionalism" in advertisements. After all, image is everything.

If I'm going to choose between two or three different "tax services" companies, I'm likely going to pick the one that appeals to me the most. And using phrases like, "You got people," doesn't really appeal to me. It just makes them sound stupid.

And if they're stupid in their advertisements, will they be stupid with my taxes?

Categories: Advertising , Language

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Hmm, yes, not to mention that the sentence implies that the action is past tense. "When you got Block, you got People" sounds more like a cause and ... Read more.

If you see the full commercial or article the tag line implies that at HR and Block you have people to back if you were to get audited. They have ... Read more.

Michelle - fair enough. I agree somewhat. I honestly can't say I've seen the entire ad campaign (commercial, billboard, print, etc) - but ... Read more.

Trust me when you see the other parts of the campain you will understand it batter. Also sometimes they used shorten pharases becuase an alternate ... Read more.

I notice they change/alternate their tag line quite often. I was looking for some H&R Block commercial clips on YouTube, but I can't find any ... Read more.

Michelle makes a good point - the ad sticks out because it's bad,(to me, anyway). So effectively, they have done their job in getting their name in ... Read more.

Amanda, kinda like the cheesy Menard's song, right? Bad... but memorable. ... Read more.

The tagline did not stop me from going there last night. ... Read more.

Their premise to the commercial was used to (unsuccessfully) cover up their bad english to the Americans who like to sound halfway intellegent. An ... Read more.

Actually, now that I think of it, even saying "You've got people" is not much better. Ideally, it should be "You have people." That's the cleanest ... Read more.

Forget the grammar, the reality is there are no "people" there if you need them! The ad is a "hook" that is made of rubber when you need it! ... Read more.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/398038/H-R-Block-Where ... Read more.

it's kind of like....Got Milk?....so would you stop drinking milk because of the slogan? ... Read more.

Hey, Just wanted to let you idiots know that your little green card scam really turned me off to you all and that I will never do business with you ... Read more.

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