NAVY FEDERAL'S HOMEBUYER'S CHOICE LOAN PROGRAM
KEY MESSAGING POINTS:
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
*This project is limited to filmmakers based in the US.*
As the nation’s largest credit union, Navy Federal Credit Union proudly serves the military community with accessible banking, financial education, and top-notch home loan options. Buying a house represents more than just the building and property; it’s about taking a major step into adulthood, setting roots, maybe starting a family, “making it” financially, and much more. Homeownership is about aspiration and possibility, but with the current state of the housing market - housing prices are up +50% since 2021, with the average age of first-time home buyers spiking to 40 in 2025 - home ownership is becoming more and more unobtainable for everyday Americans. Navy Federal believes that this milestone in someone's life can’t afford to be unaffordable. With that in mind, Navy Federal created the Homebuyer's Choice loan, allowing those with less than ideal financial statuses the ability to be competitive in the home buying market.
The goal of this project is to produce a suite of content anchored by one :60 Hero video, a host of cutdowns for paid social, and some hi-res stills pulled from footage that focus on the emotional impact of trying to buy a home, starting to make offers and attempt to get loans secured, and the belief that it's a hill that can't be climbed. This should culminate in Navy Federal's Homebuyer's Choice loan being there to help give them a real chance at this life milestone. The Hero video will be used across streaming services and have paid advertising behind it while the cutdowns and resizes will be used across the brand's social channels as well as their website. The brand is looking for one core creative concept to center the suite around with cutdown versions following the same storyline and structure as the Hero video. Instead of focusing on spectacle, the creative should elevate grounded, relatable moments, likely including showing multiple talent groups - a couple buying their first home, a single person trying to find out if it's possible for them to afford a home, a family looking to move out of an apartment into their forever home, etc. We want to focus on the real tensions and emotions present when thinking about or starting the process of buying a home; prices, rates, saving fatigue, etc. and show how Navy Federal's Homebuyer's Choice loan helps reduce those barriers and makes the possibility of owning a home feel, well, possible. This video, along with its cutdowns, should aim to champion the many benefits that the Homebuyer's Choice loan offers to Navy Federal members and guide viewers to learn more about the resources available at NavyFederal.org. The end results should relatable, supportive, educational, and speak to first time/underserved homebuyers. We want these videos to confront the belief that homeownership is no longer possible and show its viewers that Navy Federal is there to give you a helping hand.
Homebuyer's Choice gives buyers real paths to affordability. An overview of Homebuyer's Choice can be found in the Background section along with some additional messaging information that you can use to craft your concepts. You will also find some good reference videos that should help you get a sense of how Navy Federal handles branding, and what kind of tone they convey with their social presence. These are primarily brand-awareness pieces, so while the tone we're looking to capture is emotionally resonant, hopeful, and supportive, the main focus should be on the benefits of the Homebuyer's Choice loan program and Navy Federal as a brand.
In terms of execution, depending on your concept the brand is anticipating using multiple locations that feels lower-to-middle-class and can have an aspirational feel to them. The brand is open to concepts that don't explicitly someone walking into a Navy Federal Credit Union branch or anything that explicit, though it will be important that the benefits of Homebuyer's Choice are still communicated within the creative. Cutdowns can be created with direct pulls from the main hero video, but you'll need to deliver content in multiple different aspect ratios, so some thought should be put into how the 9x16 version will be optimized for its respective aspect ratio, as it should not simply be a center-cut reframing. We are anticipating these videos to be driven by on-screen text and voiceover, but the brand is open to other creative ideas to deliver the core message. At their heart, these videos are brand awareness pieces that will prompt viewers to visit Navy Federal's website. The messaging to check out the Navy Federal website will be handled in the post copy so there's no need to include that CTA in the videos themselves.
There are also 10 static assets to be pulled from the footage. While we don't necessarily need a standalone photographer, some thought should be put into your shot composition and framing to keep the stills in mind. This may mean shooting some extra footage specifically to be used for the purpose of pulling stills from it. Additionally, some thought should be given to how these are framed ensuring there is some negative space around the subject, talent or product, to allow for resizing the stills.
Captions (burned-in, per provided style guide) for the cutdown versions are required for all spoken content, so please plan your visuals accordingly keeping in mind safe zone placement on social channels, specifically adhering to Reels safe zones. Each video will be delivered in 16x9, 1x1, & 9x16 so please plan your shoots keeping in mind both the landscape, square, and vertical formats.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 12 total video assets and 20 hi-res stills assets.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
RELEVANT ASSETS: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, as we CANNOT guarantee that usage is limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
TONE/FEEL: Positive, empathetic, supporting & empowering
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: You may not use AI generated visual or audio assets in your final content. However, for the purposes of your pitch and pre-production materials, you are welcome to use generative AI to create visuals, storyboards, animatics, proofs-of-concept, etc. that might help the Sponsor understand your vision for creating the final content. Additionally, assistive AI tools (e.g. object removal, compositing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitling, etc.) may be used in post-production to supplement your workflow. Please keep record of any AI usage deployed in your submissions in the event that the Sponsor requests AI disclosures. If you have questions about any specific usage or tool, please ask your Tongal producer.
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.
In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors. Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include a budget with your submission.