• by Aaron Baar , March 8, 2011

It never hurts to get on the IRS' good side. So goes the thinking behind a new online ad campaign from Internet security company Webroot.

The effort, from TDA Boulder, consists of three microsites designed to curry favor with the tax agency, in support of Webroot's positioning as "your online protector." One site enables users to add a flower (and, if desired, a name) to a giant bouquet the company will be sending to IRS commissioner Douglas H. Shulman on April 18. A second site offers a free pro-IRS-themed stamp, bearing messages such as "IRS is my Homeboy" or "IRS #1 Fan." The third site enables people to become one of the relatively few to "like" the IRS on Facebook.

"In our industry, you tend to see promotions that [talk about] keeping you safe while filing online," Chris Benham, Webroot's chief marketing officer, tells Marketing Daily. "That's our message as well. We think we can keep your files safe, but we [also think] showing friendliness will keep you safe in other ways as well."

In addition to the fun of the promotion (which requires no purchase of product to participate), the sites also offer a $15 discount for an immediate download of Webroot's Internet security software. The effort is part of Webroot's overall positioning to be as much about showing some personality as well as technological strength. A previous promotion from the company featured an online sobriety test, which prevented people from accessing social media sites until they passed a dexterity test.

"We believe it's not just about the technology," Benham says. "Sometimes, it's about keeping you safe from yourself. Sometimes it's about keeping you safe from the IRS."

The effort is targeting heavy tech users who earn more than $75,000 in household income. Animated banners promoting the sites will run on financial sites such wjs.com, marketwatch.com and forbes.com, and on computing sites such as pcmag.com and cnet.com (where the ads will run adjacent to tax-related content). The banners will also run on general interest sites via contextual placement based on tax- or security-word searches.