While most Canadians are thinking about the holiday season, TurboTax Canada wants them to get ready for tax season and has installed a “TurboTax Concierge” at select Cineplex locations in Toronto and Vancouver.

The company tells Media in Canada that the activation is meant to counter a common misconception among consumers: that there are no real people behind the tax filing software.

“In reality, our experts are Canadian tax professionals with an average of 10 years of experience who understand Canadians’ unique situations and are available to guide them,” Gah-Yee Won, head of consumer group marketing for TurboTax parent company Intuit, says.

Showing up in high-traffic Cineplex locations is a way to engage directly with moviegoers and “bridge the gap between digital convenience and human connection.”

“Canadians love the ease and convenience of filing online with us but, we know that some tax filers have a preference for handing their taxes over to a live expert. The activation with Cineplex is a chance for us to meet Canadians where they are, both literally and figuratively, and show that real, trusted experts are behind the screen,” Won says.

Activating the pop up off-season is aimed at encouraging Canadians to get their tax questions answered and start their prep work early. 

In addition to providing on-site kiosk space, Cineplex is supporting the pop-up through its owned channels: theatre screens, static and digital displays in lobbies and entryways, and on social media. 

Cineplex Media manages the media, with Proof Experiences as the experiential agency and Superside on design and creative.

According to the company, the TurboTax Concierge reinforces its core mission of “making tax filing simple for everyone.” The pop-up continues through the end of November at four locations: Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; Cineplex Marine Gateway VIP in Vancouver; Cineplex Vaughan; and Cineplex Queensway VIP.

The company says it will use this test period to gauge consumer engagement and determine interest for potential future iterations or scaled-up experiences. Concurrently, Intuit is also busy building awareness for its recently-launched TurboTax Business to support incorporated businesses, which it says is a growing audience.