Overview: The rapid adoption of smartphones, tablets and other touch Web devices is accelerating innovation in mobile payments, making it among the hottest technology sectors. Even as Intuit was aggresiveyl beginning to position its new, mobile payments offering, Intuit GoPayment, in the marketplace it was watching an emergent and formidable competitor, Square, capture growing mindshare via clever use of traditional and social media. The GoPayment team needed to reassert its position among its key audiences and put added emphasis on showcasing its features and benefits sets to both small business and consumer demographics.

The Challenge: Establish preeminent positioning in the space, effectively taking the buzz away from Square; this meant Intuit needed make a forceful and sustained media splash and create more mindshare around its product value proposition with key audiences and potential consumers. Adding to the challenge was Intuit’s heretofore low profile in the mobile payments app space – where the demographics are largely young, early adopter Gen X/Gen consumers who have little awareness of Intuit as a brand or with its product lines.

The Plan: Access and Intuit focused on creating a presence at one of the largest, most influential tech/social media events on the calendar: SxSW (South By Southwest), now in its 10th year in Austin, TX. It was at this venue that the team looked toshowcase GoPayment in action, creating a physical experience that would drive high consumer engagement and follow on awareness and buzz through social platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare.

The focal point of the campaign was the GoPayments Food Truck, borrowed from a popular Austin food vendor, which was rebranded to drive around the SxSW festival and offer attendees and their customers free and discounted services, only available through social interactions on Twitter and Facebook. Access engaged local small business owners to become GoPayment brand ambassadors and engaged a fleet of Austin pedicabs who also demonstrated the GoPayment solution in action while also creating demand on social channels for more information about promotions and product information.

The “participation” of leading media influencers by designing menu items for named for the reporters, who helped spread word of promotions

• TechCrunch, Jason Kincaid – Kincaid Korean Burger
• Mashable, Jennifer Van Grove – Van Grove Vegan Fries
• ReadWriteWeb, Richard MacManus – RWW Rice Bowl
• CNET, Caroline McCarthy – Caro Kimchi Fries

Results: The goals set by Intuit and Access heading into the promotion were to reach 2 million followers and increase @GoPayment handle by 500 followers, which the combined team easily surpassed:

• Doubled following of @GoPayment handle.
• 1,678 tweets about Go Payment reaching more than 5 million followers.
• More than 2,250 direct product interactions through virtual and physical engagement.
• Brand and product relevant media coverage on local TV programs and Mashable and Inc. Magazine.