Forum

Forum > General > Topic

Ideas vs Concepts

02/11/2016

Comments (11)

General

Just wanted to chat and discuss an observation : )

I've noticed lately a lot of the ideas phases seem to be more 'concepts' or stories, as opposed to ideas. aka things that aren't limited to such small character limits like an "idea". Coincidence that lately they've been leaning that way? Or is it a conscience decision by the powers that be to gather more in depth ideas.

And tailing that - what does every one feel about these larger character idea phases if that is indeed a direction change?

Comments (11)

Van Voorhis Productions

02/11/2016

Also, to clarify, I don't feel strongly either way. I just wanted to get some good ol fashion forum discussion started : )

Kyle Elliott

02/17/2016

So...when does the rest of the discussion start? Where are all the other people? We could just message each other on Facebook rather than holding these conversations in public...

Van Voorhis Productions

02/17/2016

Haha welp I tried. its weird.... are there some people who AREN'T just on tongal all day like us? what do they do with their lives??? haha its ok kyle from now on we can just discuss all the in's and out's of Tongal and solve all the world's problems.

Kyle Elliott

02/21/2016

Maybe I've been spending too much time on here instead of editing my ideas. It'd explain why I abruptly stopped writing well!

Scott Lodwick

03/11/2016

Re: writing well - Whiskey. Drink more whiskey. Hemingway tested, Thimpson approved. Brought to you by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Kyle Elliott

02/12/2016

I think it just depends on what the brand is looking for. They seem to be favoring the 250 character limit which opens up enough space to write coherent sentences w/o needing 2 use slang 2 fit ur idea in. The "Idea" phase is still only the 140 character limit projects, and there isn't a "Best Concept" at the Tongies this year (Since I only ever win the concept projects lately!) So for me, I don't mind the extra character limit. The only thing that would be worrisome is how much extra work it means for the brand having to take more time reading through everything, and it makes it much more likely that multiple concepts will have similar themes/ideas. In 140 characters I had plenty of ideas that were almost identical to the eventual winners, so with 500 characters you're bound to have a lot of crossover. The brands might get bored reading through longer concepts too, so it might be beneficial to submit earlier when they aren't burnt out after reading through hundreds of long ideas already. 140 characters you can breeze through pretty quickly to sort them, 500+ additional treatments might take them a bit longer.

Nolan Schneiderman

02/12/2016

Love this post/participation. Just a quick chime in - the ideas are not judged until the project is closed. Only when two ideas are identical is the timing of the submission taken into account. However, the actual grammar and clarity of the idea is taken into account as well, so in some cases it might be best to take some extra time to make sure your structure and grammar is on point!
- Nolan + Team Tongal

Ervin Anderson

02/17/2016

Personally, I've done far better with the 500 character contest than the 140 character ones. I feel like the more room I have to expand on my idea the better. But I will say that only having 140 characters has done wonders for my editing skills. Having to cut down an idea to the bare minimum is good practice for a writer.

Brenda Stanley

02/29/2016

What happens if a sponsor does not pick a winner? How would Tongal know whether or not they liked an idea but decided not to use any of the Tongalers submissions but later made their own commercial based on the ideas of a Tongaler. If someone tweaked something a little bit, based on the ideas of others, who would really know, and how could it be proven? Smh.

Kyle Elliott

03/01/2016

When a project makes it up to the website, that means they're guaranteed to pay out that amount of money for however many ideas they're picking. There isn't a "Sorry, we don't like any of those ideas" clause in the contract so they can walk and then make a bunch of commercials on their own with those ideas. Major brands aren't going to risk a huge lawsuit over $250. If your idea doesn't win initially, and they later decide to make a commercial with that idea, they'll give you whatever the smallest Ideation prize was in the project, since that's what the contract says. If you have an issue with a brand apparently doing that, email info@Tongal.com and ask them to look into it.

Scott Lodwick

03/11/2016

Well, I should preface that I am new to tongal but not new to pitching to brands and agencies. As the poster above illustrated, this system is much more safeguarded than your typical creative / agency / brand relationship. I've definitely taken "lunches" or gone for "drinks" with agents and brand managers only to see an iteration of my idea magically come to life without a haypenny or farthing tossed my way. It's a natural part of our business on every level. When I worked in LA, having your idea stolen is a rite of passage.

That said, Tongal protects us by securing the contract and the legal language before we ever see the projecT. Everything is up front. As soon as I hit submit the IP is in the hands of Tongal. If the idea gets hijacked it would be in their interest to take action while protecting me. That's unheard of and a real game changer.

I've known scores of artists worried about the sanctity of their ideas to the point of paralyzation. We all draw from the same creative ether. Ideas are ours only for a fleeting moment. Looking at it this way is liberating. It allows you to focus on the quality of your project rather than all of the things that can go wrong.