THE CAMPAIGN: THE REAL REASON

The core idea of the campaign is to marry the scientific benefits of pet ownership with the real, emotional reasons we bring pets into our lives. Pets lower our blood pressure, reduce stress, ease loneliness, and even help us live longer. That’s all true. But it’s not why we bring a pet home. We do it for the bleps, the boops, the wiggles, the squeaks, the cuddles… The kind of love that’s hard to measure, but absolutely impossible to ignore. The science is clear but it’s not the whole story. Your footage should capture the spirit of those immeasurable moments.

Science tells us that pets lower our blood pressure, reduce stress, and help us live longer. But that's not really why we bring a pet into our lives, is it? We do it for the head tilts, the happy wiggles, the comforting purrs, and the chaotic moments that make us laugh. We do it for the kind of love that’s hard to measure, but impossible to ignore. This is "The Real Reason" we share our homes and hearts with animals. The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) wants more people to learn about the health benefits of owning a pet and consider bringing a pet into their home. And that's where you come in: HABRI wants to celebrate what your pets mean to you, so send in clips of you with your furry (or not-so-furry) familiars, and they may make it into a compilation video to be shared across their website, social media, and potentially even on CTV or broadcast! 

We're looking for your home footage that captures the heartwarming, humorous, and deeply personal interactions between you and your pet. Think less about creating a polished video and more about capturing a genuine moment. Show us the joy, the silliness, and the unbreakable bond you share with your animal companion. The best camera for this project is the one you already have with you: your phone! We're looking for authentic, in-the-moment clips, not a big film production. 

To give your pets the spotlight they deserve, we recommend filming close up and at eye-level to the pet. We suggest filming the videos horizontally, although this is not a requirement, and the length should be roughly :20 to :30 seconds. If you have multiple family members (including kids) interacting with your pet, we'd love to see that too, just make sure to upload a signed release for anyone seen or heard in the video. You can submit up to five times if you have multiple clips you'd like to present. Ultimately, your video should be a small window into your life that reminds everyone of the simple, everyday magic of owning a pet.

Examples of footage we're looking for:

• A dog ecstatically greeting you at the door.
• A cat claiming your laptop like it’s their job.
• A fish following your finger along the glass.
• A dog flopping dramatically across its bed (or maybe your bed that it thinks is theirs).
• A parakeet dancing to music with you.
• Working late on your computer with a cat curled in your lap.
• A parent and young child holding their pet.
• A dog’s ears raising at a word it knows.

Ultimately, we are looking to award 20 creators for their submissions, so we'll need a wide variety of pets and moments. While dogs and cats are a priority, we'd love to see other pets like birds, reptiles, fish, or rodents. Unfortunately, no rabbits, pugs, bulldogs, or exotic animals.

To qualify, your submission must include your video clip, along with signed releases for both you and your pet, as well as your pet's name.

Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

DELIVERABLES: There will 20 videos clip submissions selected.

• Each submitted clip should be between :20-:30 seconds.
• Please provide your clip in either horizontal (16x9) or vertical (9x16) aspect ratios (horizontal preferred).

To enter your submission, you must:

1. Be 18 years of age or older.
2. Log-in to, or create a Tongal Account.
3. Upload your video clip to Tongal through the "Submissions" tab of the project page (above).
4. Fill out the required information on the Submission Form and click the "Submit" button.

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.

• Website & Campaign Landing Page
• Social Media & Digital Ads
• Potentially Broadcast TV or CTV

TARGET AUDIENCE: Gen Z and Millennials, but the content should be heartwarming and relatable to all current or potential pet owners.

TONE/FEEL: Heartwarming, Humorous, Authentic, Joyful, and Candid.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Your submissions CANNOT include any output from an AI generator.
• You CANNOT feature rabbits or bunnies in your submissions.
• Please ensure no third-party branding or logos are visible in your footage. This includes logos on shirts, artwork or posters in the background, background music or tv shows in your clips, etc.
• The submitted clips will be edited by the Sponsor, so please do not add any music, graphics, or text.
• You MUST provide a signed talent release for anyone appearing in the video in addition to a talent release for your featured pet.
• Please do not shoot in a recognizable location that would require a location release.
• In order to be greenlit and receive payment you'll need to fill out the Winner Affidavit, IP Assignment, and W9 or W8-BEN upon selection.

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.

• VIDEO (REQUIRED): Submit a horizontal (16x9) or vertical (9x16) full screen 1080p video of you and your pet. Please upload the same video to Video and Video 30 sec. 

• SIGNED TALENT RELEASE (REQUIRED): Please download the Talent Release and sign it and attach it with your submission.

• SIGNED PET RELEASE (REQUIRED): Please download the Pet Talent Release and sign it and attach it with your submission.

• TEXT (OPTIONAL): Tell us your name, your pet's name, and how long you've been family!

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 eighteen (18) 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.