We never thought we’d hear “reality TV” and “taxes” in the same sentence. But that’s all about to change.
H&R Block just launched a fake TV show, titled Responsibility Island, that challenges Gen-Z to learn more about filing taxes. The faux-reality series premiered on February 16 (streaming on Roku and YouTube), and it consists of four three-minute episodes that are like a cross between Love Island and Shark Tank.
The short-form series follows a group of 20-something contestants who travel to a tropical island and compete in a variety of challenges. Of course, these aren’t your typical Love Island-style games. Instead, they’re designed to teach the players how to be an adult.
For the final challenge, the contestants must file their own taxes. As expected, it causes complete chaos.
In an interview with Fast Company, Jill Cress (chief marketing and experience officer at H&R Block) admitted that Responsibility Island is completely new territory for the tax company. “It’s a pretty unlikely pairing: taxes and reality TV,” she said.
However, it’s an opportunity for H&R Block to appeal to a larger audience. “We need to get people to consider us in a different light. We don’t have an awareness problem, but we have a relevance problem,” Cress explained. “Our total addressable market is limited. There are 150 to 160 million Americans who file their taxes every year. So getting consumers to choose us early, so that they stick with us is a big opportunity for our long-term growth.”
Let the games begin.
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