TURBOTAX MEDIA STRATEGY & GUIDELINES TY13 LEAD Partners:

Transcription

1 TURBOTAX MEDIA STRATEGY & GUIDELINES TY13 LEAD Partners: WHAT S INCLUDED HERE: Launch Dates & Activation Process.. Page 1 Search & Display Landing Page Approval Guidelines & Claims..... Page 2-4 Updated Marketing Policies Page 5-6 LAUNCH DATES: 12/18/13 - Launch Approved Partners ACTIVATION PROCESS: Process for TY13 Media Partners 1. Get set up with a LinkConnector publisher account a. Contact: Jennifer King, jennifer.king@linkconnector.com b. Get set up by ASID (website) if you are not already set up c. Disclose website promotional methods for EACH site or sub- affiliate: (Search, Display, Content, ) d. Key Items to Review: i. Marketing Policies respond via to Jennifer that these have been read and approved ii. Landing page guidelines review and then make applicable site updates 2. Send all landing pages to Jennifer for review (non- display partners) a. Jennifer will proof, then send to TT for final review and logging on master approval log b. NEW: Display partners can link their banner display ad directly to the TT.com site with an affiliate link. However, NO DIRECT LINKING IN SEARCH! 3. For applicable landing pages, once approved by TT, Jennifer will confirm and push program term from TurboTax to accept 4. Publisher/Network test period will begin a. Soft lead cap of 300 REQUIRED for ALL LEAD PARTNERS when starting b. LC/TT to review quality and report out on statistics when changes need to be made at either an account or ASID level 5. If lead traffic looks good and is at baseline standards or above NewAuth to Complete conversion, publisher is then allowed to scale a. TT/LC will communicate to the partner any high or low performers as needed at the ASID (website) level 1 Last Edited _JK

2 TURBOTAX SEARCH & DISPLAY LANDING PAGE APPROVAL GUIDELINES: Formatting & Claims: - Be sure there is no space between Turbo and Tax. TurboTax - It s always TurboTax Federal Free Edition whenever Free is mentioned. - Any specific amount as a guaranteed refund is prohibited. Only Get Your Maximum Refund, Guaranteed can be used. - For Call to Action: Click here to Start TurboTax Federal Free Edition or Start TurboTax Now - Disclaimer/trademark copy is mandatory on every landing page: Approved TurboTax Affiliate site. TurboTax and TurboTax Online, among others are registered trademarks and/or service marks of Intuit, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other parties trademarks or service marks are the property of the respective owners. - Please REMOVE any mention of getting your refund in as fast as x days - If you are using, please REMOVE this claim: You re never alone with TurboTax; you can get answers with free product support when you need it through chat, online community, and by phone. - If you are using, please REMOVE this claim: Save on average $100 or more over the leading tax store by choosing TurboTax. Logo Placement: Please make sure to use an approved and updated TurboTax logo. The TurboTax Logo should be placed in the upper left hand corner of a page. Please choose any of the following or one from the account: Do NOT use any of these old logos: 2 Last Edited _JK

3 Recommended Copy to use: TurboTax Federal Free Edition #1 Rated, Best- Selling tax software.* (*Based on aggregated sales data for tax year 2012 and press reviews for TurboTax Deluxe, Premier, and Home and Business for tax year 2012) TurboTax is the most trusted name in tax software.* (*Based on Intuit- commissioned survey 10/13). FREE preparation, FREE printing, FREE efiling for your simple tax return (when referring to TurboTax Federal Free Edition) Easily get your biggest tax refund possible, guaranteed* (*If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state purchase price paid. Claims must be submitted within 60 days of your TurboTax filing date and no later than 6/15/14. Optional add- on services excluded. Cannot be combined with TurboTax Satisfaction (Easy) Guarantee.) Images Box shots of TurboTax are prohibited because affiliates are only allowed to promote the TurboTax online product. Boxed products are different and represent the desktop version only. Images to avoid: o Overly expressive or playful images o Using people that are overly businesslike or serious o Imagery that depicts the tax process as frustrating or complex and props that imply manual preparation o Imagery that is complex or highly manipulated o Clip art or cartoon- like illustrations. Do not import clip art from Microsoft PowerPoint o GPS images we are moving away from the GPS metaphor and copy, please remove these images from your landing page Recommended Images: o Banners provided to you from the affiliate interface Real people stock photos TurboTax Affiliate & Guarantee Disclaimers Affiliate disclaimer/trademark copy is mandatory on every landing page: Approved TurboTax Affiliate site. TurboTax and TurboTax Online, among others are registered trademarks and/or service marks of Intuit, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other parties trademarks or service marks are the property of the respective owners. Guarantee Disclaimer: Maximum Refund Guarantee or Your Money Back* *If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state purchase price paid. Claims must be submitted within 60 days of your TurboTax filing date and no later than 6/15/14. Optional add- on services excluded. Cannot be combined with TurboTax Satisfaction (Easy) Guarantee. 3 Last Edited _JK

4 E- filing Messages & Disclaimers: Get your fastest refund possible* *Fastest refund with efile and direct deposit; refund timeframes will vary. Notes: Please remove any fast refund messaging that states getting your return in as few as x days. When discussing Free e- file, note that state e- file is an additional fee. E- file fees do not apply to New York state returns. Prices are subject to change without notice. E- file and get your refund faster. Accurate calculations Disclaimer: 100% accurate calculations guaranteed* *We're so confident your return will be done right, we guarantee it. Accurate calculations guaranteed. If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculations error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Required Guarantee link: Recommended Description: With TurboTax you'll get your biggest tax refund guaranteed, 100% accurate calculations, and step by step guidance so you are confident your taxes are done right. BLOGGERS or Search Review Sites: Blogging about TurboTax? FTC guidelines require that you disclose the relationship by placing a badge on your site. We require that you place this badge on your site. Affiliate tracking link below: Link Creative Banner Location: LinkConnector LinkID For more information, please visit the FTC website. 4 Last Edited _JK

5 TURBOTAX TY13 MARKETING POLICIES: Search Campaigns - Protected SEM Bidding Keywords For the TurboTax campaign, affiliates are not allowed to bid on TurboTax, Quicken, QuickBooks, SnapTax, Intuit, or other Intuit Trademarks, including misspellings and derivations thereof; unless you have express written permission from Intuit. In addition, affiliates may not bid on competitor's trademarks, such as H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, CompleteTax, TaxAct, FreeTaxUSA, and any other direct competitors not listed here. Additional protected terms include: "free file", "refund anticipation loan", "IRS", IRS or official government terms, and terms related to government programs. Additionally, affiliates are not allowed to bid on "RAL" or "Refund Anticipation Loan" in paid search and send traffic to TurboTax. Search Campaigns - Recommended SEM Bidding Keywords free income tax, free income tax filing, free online tax filing, free tax file, free tax filing, free tax prep, free tax preparation, free tax return, free tax returns, free tax software, free taxes, efile, e- File, e file, file taxes online, gift tax, income tax, income tax filing, income tax preparation, income tax returns, income tax software, income taxes, online tax, online tax filing, online tax prep, online tax preparation, online tax software, online taxes, tax, tax deductions, tax estimator, tax filing, tax help, tax online, tax preparation, tax preparation software, tax return, tax returns, tax software, tax tips, taxes, taxes online, child tax credit, earned income credit, self- employmenttax,1040,w2,w- 2,1099,tax form Search Campaigns - Prohibited SEM Display URL Content For the TurboTax Campaign, affiliates are not allowed to use the TurboTax, Quicken, QuickBooks, SnapTax, Intuit, or other Intuit trademarks, misspellings and derivations thereof as the display URL. Any ads with IRS or official government wording, or direct competitor trademarks are also prohibited. Additionally, TurboTax can be used in the URL, as long as it is in the following format: Search Campaigns - Prohibited SEM Ad Copy Content Official site, IRS, or official government wording is prohibited. Affiliates are not allowed to imitate IRS or the government in any way. Publishers may not include TurboTax on websites where the domain includes any government websites listed below, and derivations thereof, or any government related terms that might not be mentioned such as the following examples: FreeFileToday.com, IRS.com, IRSHome.com, Banks.com, IRS.net, IRS.org, Freefileday.com, or FreeFile.com. Search Campaigns - Limited Use SEM Ad Copy Content The TurboTax TM is NOT allowed in the headline, however it IS allowed in ad copy description. Additionally, TurboTax can be used in the URL, as long as it is in the following format: Search Campaigns - Direct Linking No Search Campaigns - Special Instructions for Search Marketing Publishers 1) Broad/negative match guidelines: affiliates must negative match the keyword "Turbo". 2) The use of iframes and any other methods to frame the TurboTax.com site is not permitted. 3) Publisher agrees to follow prohibited keywords, direct linking, display URL, and ad copy rules stated in these marketing polices. Web Site - Unacceptable Web Sites Your TurboTax affiliate ads are not authorized to have your ads run on the following sites: IRS.com, IRSHome.com, Banks.com, IRS.net, IRS.org, Freefileday.com, or FreeFile.com 5 Last Edited _JK

6 Use of Logos and Trademarks in Web Sites Publishers must also abide by the provisions of the rules set forth concerning Press Releases, use of our Trademarks and Copyright information at All policies stated these marketing policies also apply to mobile promotions. By accepting these program terms mobile affiliates agree to comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of Additional Promotional Methods: Incentivized Traffic Not Allowed Additional Promotional Methods: Allowed with prior approval - Publisher links to TurboTax or Intuit Site(s) are NOT permitted to be placed in unsolicited e- mail or chat rooms. Additional Promotional Methods: Software Not allowed - Compliance/reversals/removal from program guidelines: Publishers may NOT cause or enable any sales to be made that are not in good faith, including, but not limited to, by means of any device, program, robot, Iframes, hidden frames or redirects, spyware, malware, or adware. Traffic cannot be sent directly to the TurboTax offer without a click that is initiated by the user; traffic to the offer without a user initiated click is considered a forced click (cookie stuffing). Publishers are also not allowed to do pop- unders. Publishers who violate any of these policies (traffic results in non- compliant means of generating impressions, clicks, leads, or sales to TurboTax) will be removed from the program and risk commission reversals. Additional Promotional Methods: Sub- Affiliates Allowed - Sub- affiliate network guidelines: Affiliates are solely responsible for ensuring the traffic through sub- affiliate partners are compliant with LinkConnector s affiliate agreement, LinkConnector s Code of Conduct and TurboTax's special terms and conditions and program term marketing policies. TurboTax and LinkConnector require that sub- affiliate networks use separate ASIDs for each sub- affiliate. TurboTax and LinkConnector will tie fraudulent and non- compliant activity to a given ASID (not at the CID or AID level) and reverse orders tied to the violating ASID. ASIDs that do not have violations tied to them will be paid in full. If Sub- affiliate network fails to break out traffic by ASID, the entire ASID will be subject to transaction reversals. A sub- affiliate partner cannot broker the TurboTax offer to other sub- affiliate networks (partners that also share links with their own sub- affiliate partners) without full disclosure (Name, Address, Phone Number, and Contact Info) and prior written consent from TurboTax team for each of these partners. Sub- affiliate partners within sub- affiliate networks are subject to all the same terms and conditions provided by TurboTax. In the event that a sub- affiliate partner (ASID) is asked to stop running the TurboTax offer (for fraud, non- compliance or low quality traffic), publisher must provide name, address, phone number and contact info for that sub- affiliate partner. This information will be used to prevent this sub- affiliate partner from running the offer through another network. Purchasing on exchanges: Affiliates are solely responsible for ensuring the traffic purchased through exchanges is compliant with LinkConnector s affiliate agreement, LinkConnector s Code of Conduct and TurboTax's special terms and conditions and program term marketing policies. Display affiliates are allowed to direct link to TurboTax from their banner display ads. However, please note that no affiliates are allowed to direct link in search, for any reason. Additional Promotional Methods: Social Media Allowed - Social: All policies stated in these marketing policies also apply to social promotions on FaceBook and other social channels. Any social promotion on behalf of TurboTax must be pre- approved in writing. 6 Last Edited _JK

7 Miscellaneous Sites with user- generated content: Please note the TurboTax affiliate program will not allow sites to promote user generated content that is in any way trying to game the system or drive customer care calls to TurboTax in order to purposefully get free copies of the TurboTax software. If we find this type of activity and the publisher does not remove the user generated content, we reserve the right to expire the relationship. Non- Commissionable Items Please refer to the non- commissionable item lists. Sample non- commissionable items include audit defense, e- file, bank products, and CDs/downloads. 7 Last Edited _JK