Ollie's Bargain Outlet is one of America's largest retailers of the closeout merchandise and excess inventory.  Our "semi-lovely" stores sell merchandise of all descriptions and some beyond description.

OLLIE'S BARGAIN OUTLETS IDEAS: Please choose one Idea to base your Pitch upon. Ollie's has provided key story points for each of the Ideas. Please make sure your videos follow the story-beats. ALL ideas need to reinforce this: You get value at ollies – shop ollies first – best prices – name brands - when it's gone, it's gone. 

1. FOMO (Fear of Missing Ollie's): You snooze, you lose. These bargains won't be here forever - the time is of the essence. So get your cheapskates on and get on down to Ollie's or you'll suffer FOMO. TV spots and radio redefine what FOMO truly means - Fear of Missing Ollie's and drive home "When it's gone, it's gone."
2. Stop dreaming, get shopping!:  We open on an alarm clock going off, and reveal a person who's either having a nightmare (about spending too much money on holiday shopping) or a good dream (about snapping up great deals from the shelves). If it's a nightmare, we like the idea that Ollie may be there to wake them up and show them Ollie's great holiday deals (or something like that). If it's a good dream, maybe the person freezes and we see that they've come to face to face with Ollie's character holding a sign that says, "Stop dreaming, get shopping!" or "stop dreaming, and get real bargains at Ollie's before they run out!" You can take this in either direction, but either way, we like the contrast between the dream world and the real world, and we'd love for this to be holiday-themed.
3. Skeptical Price-Tagger: A skeptical customer is shopping inside Ollie's, can't believe the prices Ollie's has. Incorporate Ollie by having the customer ask him for confirmation on the prices
4. Ollie The Explorer: Animated Ollie finding, making, and closing deals for the store. Think a Super Hero-Esque Ollie in the world of retail. Allow Ollie to explain that he searches for the ultimate "bargain deals" and to promote major upcoming events. We obviously have to be careful of infringing on any copyrighted character.

REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION OR TONE: 

• Ollie's Bargain Outlet YouTube Channel
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvIoON7e4Jc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-W_HIqE8w
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYTuYadqg7A

The goal of this project is to create a suite of 2D animated videos and radio spots that drive in-store traffic to Ollie's Bargain Outlet during the holiday shopping season. The final videos will be a mix of live action and animation. Your goal is to create the animated portion of the videos along with the VO, add the live action in-store b-roll of the products on special, and deliver the completed spots. The live action, in-store product footage will be supplied by Ollie's videographer.  Ollie's has provided four Ideas with key story beats for each. These can be reviewed in the Background/Additional Details. Please make sure your pitch follows the story-beats.

The actual products on special are typically determined in early to mid-October, however the goal will be to have all the animated elements of the spots completed before then. Ollie's would like to maintain the same general format of their ads (see example here) and and match their established animated style (see Assets tab). However, they're looking for more dynamic 2D animated elements to get people's attention and compel them to visit their nearest outlet. Ollie's does not sell anything online so it's all about getting people into the stores. Additionally, they will only get a fixed quantity of a certain brand name product and once it's sold out, it's sold out.  This along with significantly reduced prices are the key messaging pillars.

Along with the materials in the Assets tab you can download some Illustrator files to inform your animation here, however they'd like animators to expand well beyond these and create new and fun holiday-themed scenarios.

Because this project brings together multiple creative skillsets, you are encouraged to assemble a team of specialists to fill in any gaps in your own background. One way to do that is by connecting with other Tongal creators in the Project Forum.

 

DELIVERABLES: 90 total deliverables (60 videos + 30 radio spots)

• 60 total videos: 16x9 videos will be delivered first for priority, and once approved the resizing of the 1x1 videos will come after approval of the 16x9 videos. 
  • :30 branding video (16x9, 1x1)
  • :15 branding video (16x9, 1x1)
  • :30 holiday video (16x9, 1x1)
  • :15 holiday video (16x9, 1x1)
  • :30 Black Friday video (16x9, 1x1)
  • :15 Black Friday video (16x9, 1x1)
  • Twelve :30 Specific offer videos  (16x9, 1x1) - a mix of category and product-specific videos
  • Twelve :15 Specific offer videos (16x9,  1x1) - a mix of category and product-specific videos

• 30 Radio Spots - these can mirror the :30 and :15 second spots. Delivered as MP3s. 

  • :30 branding Radio Ad

  • :15 branding Radio Ad

  •  :30 holiday Radio Ad

  • :15 holiday Radio Ad

  • :30 Black Friday Radio Ad

  • :15 Black Friday Radio Ad

  • Twelve :30 Specific offers Radio Ads - a mix of category and product-specific

  • Twelve :15 Specific offer Radio Ads - a mix of category and product-specific

  • Important Note to the winning filmmaker - Just note that we can't upload .mp3s to the platform, so you'll need to upload every radio spot as a video with black video.
    
    

TIMELINE: This has an incredibly fast-moving timeline For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.

 

EXPOSURE:

• TV
• Radio
• Digital: Facebook, Instagram & YouTube
• Link to platform best practices page.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• Women; 34-65+
• Value Seekers, bargain shoppers, treasure hunting shoppers for BRAND name merchandise at up to 70% off the fancy store prices.

 

TONE: Funny, kitschy, quirky, self-deprecating, cartoony, and a little haphazard (see the brand style guide for more info in attached Assets).

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Replicate the tone and style of Ollie's past video spots.
• Add in supplied "B-Roll" off "the deal" footage.
• Ollie's will only get a fixed quantity of a certain brand name product(s) and once it's sold out, it's sold out!  This along with significantly reduced prices are the key messaging pillars.
• Close with the product offer & end CTA.
• The Ollie’s CTA slogan - "Good Stuff Cheap” audio shout must be incorporated for CTA to all videos. (see Assets tab).
• Frame rate will be determined during pre-production but will be either 23.98 or 29.97.

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 our advice here is to make sure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline, 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): 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this video.

• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of your approach and how you plan to pull it off. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.

•  STYLE FRAME (REQUIRED):  Please submit ONE holiday-themed original style frame based on the Ollie's animation style. 

• RADIO WRITING SAMPLE (REQUIRED): Please include a writing sample of your radio work. This can be a sample from previous work or sample written specifically for this project. If radio writing is not really your thing, try connecting with other Tongal writers through the project forum!
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous animated 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.

• 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. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
7. 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.
    
8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. 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.
    
    
13. 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.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
15. 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.