London - For immediate release, March 20, 2004 - As the old saying goes, "Nothing’s certain but death and taxes." "And slogans!" comes a cry from deep within The Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame, from founder and Chief SloganMaven Timothy R. V. Foster. And to mark this year’s Tax Day, coming soon on April 15, Foster investigated the offerings of tax-preparation services according to their slogans. How well are taxpayers’ needs being met? As a further aid in dealing with the complexities of the IRS, Foster also reviewed cures for bouts of typical Tax-Day malaise.

"Tax preparation is a daunting and intimidating challenge, which seems to become more overpowering each year," Foster comments. According to Foster, a recent survey of taxpayers suggests the most important considerations in choosing a tax service are:

• Simplification of the preparation process
• Speed
• Accuracy
• Convenience
• Maximizing deductions
• Affordability

How well are today’s tax services meeting the needs of the marketplace? Using their slogans as a guide, Foster says, "Quite well," as he compares the taglines and the organizations involved:

Simplification of the preparation process
• ‘Taxes made easy. Taxes done right.’ [TurboTax ]
• ‘The fastest and easiest tools for individual income tax.’ [eSmart Tax]
• ‘Tomorrow's technology, quality & performance today.’ [Tax$imple]

Speed
• ‘Fast, accurate and friendly.’ [Liberty Tax Service]
• ‘Simple. Fast. Secure.’ [Online Taxes]
• ‘The fastest and easiest tools for individual income tax.’ [eSmart Tax]

Accuracy
• ‘Fast, accurate and friendly.’ [Liberty Tax Service]
• ‘Taxes made easy. Taxes done right.’ [TurboTax ]

Convenience
• ‘Anywhere. Anytime. Securely.’ [FileYourTaxes.com]
• ‘Tax advice personalized for your life.’ [H&R Block]

Maximizing deductions
• ‘Get all the deductions you deserve.’ [Jackson Hewitt] Affordability
• ‘Your free tax software solution!’ [TaxAct]

Meanwhile, a less effective approach included this offering from TaxLogic, with a slogan that is actually of little consequence to most taxpayers:
• ‘Over 12,000 TaxLogic customers since 1995.’ [TaxLogic.com]

If slogans can help you choose a tax preparer, can they also help you deal with the heartbreak of tax overload? The survey suggested the following physical and unwelcome intrusions can also come visiting around tax time:

• The pain of headache, neuritis, neuralgia
• Sleeplessness
• Upset stomach
• General aches and pains

Matching the need to the preparation, Foster found these cure-alls:

The pain of headache, neuritis, neuralgia
• ‘Do you have your Advil ready?’ [Advil]
• ‘The headache medicine.’ [Excedrin]

Sleeplessness
• Good mornings begin with a good Nytol.
• Get Sominex sleep.
• Restful nights, refreshed awakenings. [Ambien]

Upset stomach
• ‘Experience the power of effervescent relief.’ [Alka-Seltzer]
• ‘Pink does more than you think.’ [Pepto-Bismol]
• ‘Comfortable, cramp-free relief.’ [Phillips Milk Of Magnesia]
• ‘Fast relief for the way we live.’ [Rolaids]
• ‘It's fast. It lasts.’ [Tums]

General aches and pains
• ‘Take it for pain. Take it for life.’ [Bayer Aspirin]
• ‘Your partners in fighting colds and flu.’ [Tylenol]

Foster’s analysis is an excellent example of how paying a little extra attention to a company’s message can often benefit consumers. "Conducting an audit of potential solutions can be a helpful
problem-solving exercise in many of life’s little adventures," says Foster. "That’s what good advertising slogans are all about."

The Advertising Slogan Hall Of Fame exists to recognize excellence and best practice in advertising, benchmarking creativity and identifying the best in branding. Slogans are elected by a panel of distinguished judges from the advertising industry. To date, 114 slogans have been
selected as members, appointed over the last three years.

Timothy R. V. Foster’s expertise on the subject of slogans is in high demand from such respected publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times Creative Business, Adweek, and Brandweek, among others. Recent radio interviews with Mr. Foster were staged by BBC Radio Wales, BBC World Service and Doug Whiteman of the Associated Press’s national U.S. business program.

For more information on Timothy R. V. Foster or AdSlogans.com, or for intelligent commentary upon the advertising industry in general, please contact “Chief SloganMaven” Timothy R. V. Foster in the U.K. at 44 (0) 20 8763 2225, or via e-mail at .

For additional publicity or background materials, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell in the U.S., at (904) 982-8043 or via e-mail at Paramitch@aol.com.