Small but mighty

c/o WARC

Intuit knows something fascinating about Hispanic small business owners (SBOs) in the US and has turned that insight into an award-winning campaign.

The business challenge was that many Hispanic SBOs considered their businesses too small to use an accounting software like QuickBooks, instead preferring to track their financials with pen-and-paper.

That behavior reflects something deeper – a sense of inferiority among this segment of SBOs.  Compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts, they are less likely to see themselves as leaders, less likely to describe themselves as financially secure and capable, and more likely to value modesty and humility.

You can see this in the names of many Hispanic businesses, which frequently use the suffix “-ito,” which means “small.”

Intuit’s campaign encouraged these SBOs to “Think Ote,” a suffix that means “big.” The face of the campaign was Mexican football (soccer) star Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández, whose nickname, “Small Pea,” belies his athletic prowess and his immense success at the highest levels of his sport.

The message was that “no matter how small your name may be, you can still do big things with the right support.”

The campaign increased the number of Hispanic QuickBooks users 96% over the previous year’s campaign, dramatically increased awareness and consideration, and helped Intuit and its agency win a prestigious Jay Chiat Award.

The easy route would have been to discuss something rudimentary and functional, like how QuickBooks can lighten the load and reduce stress for Hispanic SBOs.  And that is true – that is exactly what QuickBooks does. However, it was the next-level psychological context that was not only true, but also compelling.