ABC Warehouse was founded by Gordon “Gordy” Hartunian in 1963 with a single store in Center Line, Michigan. Family-owned and operated, the ABC Warehouse philosophy is based on Gordy’s personal belief that consumers were more interested in value and service than in merchandising frills. This sales philosophy was eventually distilled into the slogan; “The Closest Thing to Wholesale®,” which continues to be a rallying cry today. Since the very beginning and throughout the decades, ABC Warehouse has experienced steady growth, adding many exciting product categories along the way. 

ABC Warehouse wants their new customers to know that they don't just sell top brand appliances, but TVs and electronics, mattresses, furniture, and home goods that are perfect for today's modern homeowner. They remain fiercely dedicated to providing customers with low prices, top name brands, a large selection, and excellent service - with free in-home delivery. ABC Warehouse also has experienced consultative sales personnel dedicated to ensuring the most positive customer service experience possible.

 

REFERENCE VIDEOS: Here are some of reference ads for you to review. ABC Warehouse wants to create an awareness for their brand that resonates with their millennial viewers and highlights the "lifestyle" aspect of owning one of their products. 

• Home Depot
• Lowes 1
• Lowes 2
• Best Buy Tech

ABC Warehouse, Inc. is a chain of retail appliance and electronics stores based in Pontiac, Michigan. Founded in 1963 by Gordon Hartunian, ABC Warehouse has grown to become one of the Midwest’s largest and most successful appliance, electronics, and furniture retailers, employing more than 1,000 people across 42 locations throughout Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Despite it's rapid expansion, ABC Warehouse is dedicated to providing customers with low prices, top name brands, a large selection of inventory, and excellent customer service. 

The goal of this project is to create a :30 live action video that introduces the ABC Warehouse brand, primarily geared towards homeowners aged 25-54, as a lifestyle company. The primary objective being to inspire those potential customers to come visit the store, ending with a call-to-action that drives viewers to their website to learn more and "Visit ABC Warehouse Today!"  

In terms of production, you should not expect to film at an ABC Warehouse; instead, shots from inside one of their stores will come from b-roll that they are in the process of capturing right now. ABC Warehouse will also not be able to ship product for the shoot, so you should think of other creative ways to showcase how furniture could find a place in the home. As ABC Warehouse carries a large selection of brand name furniture and appliances, you may be able to show furnishings without identifying their brand. if necessary, they can also pull high-res stills from their website upon request. 

Ultimately, since ABC Warehouse wants to be presented as a lifestyle brand, they'd like your video to feel more like a lifestyle video, in and around the home, with strategic usage of the in-store b-roll and/or product shots to tie everything together. For more information, check out the Background section or ask questions in the Project Forum. 

DELIVERABLES: Four total deliverables:

• One :30 video (16x9)
• Three alternate :30 versions (16x9). Alternate variations will involve the same characters, locations, and script, and will mostly involve small changes that can be handled in post-production, including changes to CTAs, end-card designs, on-screen text copy, and other minor edits. Additionally, depending on where the creative lands, a version may include a slight variation to the script. This will be decided between the selected producer and client during scripting.

 

TIMELINE: Please find the anticipated timeline HERE, but note that if you are selected, you should consult with your Tongal producer to ensure you are always working off of the most up to date timeline.

 

EXPOSURE: YouTube. For YouTube TrueView for action best practices please click here.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE:  

• Men and Women Ages 25-54,  young home owners, and families looking to start a  home. 
• ABC Warehouse would like to highlight they don't just sell appliances, but TVs, electronics, mattresses, furniture and home goods that  make them stand out as a lifestyle brand for all people. 

 

TONE: Happy, family fun, and engaging. 

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Avoid using the phrases "family business" and "family-owned business" 
• Avoid using specific appliance or TV brand logos 
• When showcasing certain brand appliances or TVs, deals and price points should be

  text overlay as deals all change at different intervals

• Videos must communicate the following marketing messages: 
  • Closest thing to wholesale. 
  • Largest selection of name brand appliances, mattresses, tv’s and furniture. 
  • Free Home Delivery on Appliances Store wide and all TV’s 55” and up. 
  • Special Financing offers are available.
• Your videos must conclude with the following CTAs: 
  • Visit ABC Warehouse Today!
  • Shop Now

Shooting live action or stop motion? Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, so 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 execute this video.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the video. 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 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.
   
   
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.