Background

BRAND PROOF POINTS:


OFFICES & CITIES BEING PROFILED:

Objectives

With decades of experience and expertise, this tax preparation brand has seen it all, and their Tax Pros are well versed in the ever-evolving tax landscape and the changing needs of tax filers. That said, when you're actually going to a tax professional to file your taxes, it's often about more than just expertise: for many people, the tax business is actually a relationships business, and that often means it's also a local business. Having a Tax Pro from your community means having someone who can better relate to you and what's happening in the world around you, because they're invested and active in it too. Their dedication and their contributions are felt close to home, and that inspires a lot of confidence and trust. Luckily, this brand's got tens of thousands of Tax Pros within five miles of every American, ready to be that person - and we're here to tell some of their stories. 


The goal of this project is multi-faceted and the creative is still being actively developed, but it revolves around the creation of a large suite of social-first docu-style content that will capture the intimate stories of 9 real-life Tax Pros from different cities around the United States, and show how they're an active part of the local communities they serve. Many tax filers don't think of this brand as "the local guys," so we want to build awareness around their Tax Pros and get people to reassess, and then drive consideration by establishing relevance, trust, and expertise. As campaign director, you will not be the primary driver of the overall creative approach up front, but you'll be an integral part in developing the guidelines that shape this campaign and physical production. Ultimately, the creative approach is being driven by Tongal and one of the brand's agency partners, so you'll need to collaborate closely as we move towards production, where you'll then need to help supervise multiple satellite filmmakers, each capturing the stories of different Tax Pros during a production window in mid-December. In the end, you'll handle all post-production and content delivery for the campaign, which is where you'll have greatest impact


Although some elements of this project are still being determined, and although the Tax Pros are still being identified, this is a fast-moving campaign, so we'll need to bring on a campaign director or team now, before many of the specifics are locked in. That said, we've structured the scope of this project to account for that, and we don't anticipate that any changes will have a substantial impact on the budget and scope. 


In terms of the creative and brand messaging, this should feel uniquely emotional and authentic, but it's also a social-first campaign, so we're leading with 9x16 vertical content and need a team that can deliver smart, visually dynamic, and energetic social videos. Our lead videos are likely :90, and we anticipate they'll be accompanied by a bunch of individual cutdowns, roughly :15, that pull out impactful lines or moments that reinforce some key messages. The number and nature of the cutdowns is still pretty tentative. Beyond that, we'll want to think about clever transitions, fast-paced edits, and potentially motion graphics or motion text captions. We'll also want to shape our interview questions in a way such that we can drive key brand proof points, and ensure that we're capturing both the real personality of the Tax Pro, and illustrate how they engage with their local community, as it's very important that in each video we capture the unique essence of the community we are in. Whether we nod at that through the way the Tax Pro phrases things, reference something recognizable to that community, or find another way to accomplish this entirely, we want to make sure that these videos really feel local and personalized.


Importantly, you will not be responsible for any physical production within the scope of this project, and you are not expected to be physically present on set for any of the shoots. We are running a separate project (with a separate budget) in parallel to source the satellite filmmakers who will handle local production with each Tax Pro in December. If the campaign director is able and willing, they're encouraged to participate in and pitch that project. In most cases, campaign director teams do actually film at least one video, but given the number of different cities involved here, and the fact that timing requires that we run two projects in parallel, we haven't included any production here. You should also know that this brand's agency partner may actually film a "pilot" video first, in a different U.S. city, which could serve as a template for the rest of the productions.


Although some creative guidelines will be developed with the brand and its agency partner, the campaign direction team will need to develop a more specific executional approach and curate it for each individual's story, creating story outlines and shot lists to ensure we are capturing key elements. We expect that each Tax Pro will ultimately be filmed with a small docu-style crew, using a limited number of locations. Overall, the campaign director will be responsible for:



In your pitch, please tell us more about how you bring intimacy and sentiment through in docu-style content, and show us how your team would approach this project from the campaign director level and with an eye towards 9x16, in terms of pre-interviewing talent, staying organized and overseeing satellite filmmakers, and managing a large number of assets in post-production. This is not really about creative, because that's still in development, so don't worry too much about coming in with a strong POV there. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: There are *approximately* 36 total video assets. Full Deliverables list is subject to change, and some assets below may be unnecessary.

 

EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE

 

EXPOSURE: We expect content will drive hyper-local media buys, so your audience should be a local audience, and you should create content with that in mind. Otherwise, we'd imagine usage on the platforms below, although content may NOT be limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Hardworking Americans from each local community, typically aged 40+, who are looking for expert assistance with their taxes. 

 

TONE: Relatable, vibrant, positive, energetic, optimistic, and confident.
 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

 

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects on our platform do move forward, we will 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 the project team.

Details

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.


Requirements

  1. 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. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.

  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. 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.

  5. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p and formatted for the aspect ratios listed in the Deliverables (e.g. 16x9). 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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 creator.

  9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.

  10. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor, nor can Submissions contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.

  11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.

  12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.

  13. 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.