A few other idea starters:

• Your car's point of view during the holidays: the POV from the car's grill or dashboard watching you as you run around loading presents, tying a tree, hauling decorations, hugging family, shoveling snow, or and any other winter activity. Perhaps there's a payoff at the end where a present is brought to the car or the car's the only one to witness Santa Clause.
• Gift List: Someone takes the gift list of their significant other and mis-interprets all of the items with things found at an Advance Auto Parts store since that's the only place they like to shop. For example, tree > air freshener, lights > brake bulbs, new car > model toy car, ornament > rear view mirror hanging accessory.
• Your car is a safe space: Perhaps a family gathering or a rowdy New Year's Eve Party becomes too much to handle and someone escapes to their car where dash cam footage shows them finally taking a breath or calling a long distance friend/family member.
• Thanksgiving dinner swap out: Imagine a traditional Thankssgiving dinner scene, but with a twist. Instead of plates you have steering wheel covers and instead of utensils you have wrenches and pliers. All the utensils, cutlery and dishes are replaces with tools and car accessories.

Well folks, pumpkin-themed drinks are back. Egg-nog's beginning to fill the shelves, sugar cookies are everywhere, the days have grown shorter, and the air has that fall chill. With the holiday season fast-approaching, there are more reasons than ever to take care of your car. Even if it's not carrying you over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house, it's gonna be there for you when you're picking up bags of food and boxes of gifts, and it's your ticket to all the festivities. This year, Advance Auto Parts is looking for at least two talented creators to produce an engaging and thumb-stopping video that highlights some key holidays and events. 

This isn't about any one individual event, so think about holidays like Thanksgiving (Nov. 24), Hanukkah (Dec. 10 - 18), the Winter Solstice/Yule/Christmastide (Dec. 21), Christmas Day (Dec. 25), and New Years Eve (Dec. 31).

We are looking for unique and possibly humorous takes on how your car and Advance Auto play a role within the Holiday season. These videos should feel native to Instagram Reels and TikTok, and they should be festive and relatable enough that viewers will want to share it with all their loved ones. It's holiday-themed but with an automobile twist, but we're wide open on the creative approach, so you can bring your car to the family dinner table (literally), or maybe decorate a Christmas tree with only pine scented air fresheners. Perhaps someone's excited to go to a family gathering - but then they suddenly discover their fog lights are out, so they stop by an Advance to get that one special bulb that glows so bright, to help guide their sleigh into the night. The possibilities are endless, and cleverness goes a long way. Check out some of the other thought starters in the Background, and feel free to go off on your own path too.

The only requirement here is that cars or retail items you can find at an Advance Auto Parts store be present within the scene. 

Though we are predominantly looking for live action videos, we're also open to seeing animation, stop-motion, 3D, and motion graphics executions. While you are not required to film in an Advance Auto Parts store, if you feel like it will help your concept, there is potential to shoot in your local store with prior approval from the client. 

Now crack out the chestnuts, fire up the yule log, and show us how Advance should celebrate the holidays! For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: There is 3 total assets, per creator.

• One :15-:30 video (9x16, 16x9, and 1x1)

 

TIMELINE: HERE

 

EXPOSURE:

• Advance Auto Part's Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok
• Please review the platform best practices page.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• Men, aged 35+ 
• Secondary target audience: DIYers, motorsports fans, and car enthusiast Millennials

 

TONE:

• Heartwarming and clever 
• Open to humorous, or even inspiring

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• You SHOULD keep Advance Auto Parts Brand Guidelines in mind when creating your videos, with a focus more on yellow and black coloring, rather than red.
• Your casting SHOULD be diverse.
• Your video SHOULD NOT include any third party signage or logos, unless specifically provided or requested by Advance Auto Parts.
• You MAY NOT use any trending TikTok or Instagram audios. If you want to re-create the trending audio yourself you can.
• Videos cannot feature anything vulgar or any profanity.
• If text is used, all text must be placed for TikTok in-feed safe zones.

 

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a pitch. Though most projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit pitch, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any pitches via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.

Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, and we're now requiring a COVID safety protocol plan for all relevant productions. Please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We're working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and you should ensure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline and budget, while also ensuring everyone's safety.

In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.

 

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and produce the content listed out in the Deliverables.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A more detailed and specific description of how you propose to execute all of the content listed out in the Deliverables, both in terms of what we can expect to see, and how you’ll make it. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, cinematography, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual videos.

• SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the video you intend to create.
  
  
• HEADSHOTS/CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Casting notes or concepts, headshots of actors, etc.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch. Also, test videos, animatics, etc. are welcome. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the Sponsor gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

1. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 9x16. Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
5. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor’s organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
6. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
7. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
8. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
10. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
     
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
13. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Video based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.
    
    
14. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
    
    
15. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Videos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings.
    
    
16. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.