Produce a collection of short, informative, and engaging social videos that showcase Advance Auto Parts' various products and their loyalty program to encourage viewers to visit their physical locations.
Most drivers already know that Advance Auto Parts is the place to go when shopping for auto parts, but they may not realize just how broad and reliable the product selection is, from everyday maintenance essentials to performance upgrades and tools for every kind of vehicle. Advance Auto Parts is also a go-to destination for do-it-yourselfers, offering trusted brands and knowledgeable team members who can help customers find the right parts for the job. Now, with the launch of a new loyalty program that rewards customers for every purchase, Advance Auto Parts is giving drivers even more reasons to shop in-store. With all of this in mind, the Advance team wants to create a set of live-action social videos highlighting key products, shopping moments, and the benefits of the new loyalty program. These videos will run on Advance Auto Parts' social channels.
The goal of this project is to create four unique live-action videos, each up to 1 minute, that showcase their new Advance Rewards loyalty program or promote a range of common products available at Advance Auto Parts nationwide. You'll need to shoot 16x9 for Facebook but optimize your edits in 9x16 for TikTok and Instagram. Each video should be built around distinct messaging goals:
While the Advance team is open to your creative thoughts and approach for the fourth video in particular, your concepts for all four videos should be memorable, shareable, and bold, while remaining evergreen for relevance at any point of the year. Your pitch should also include details around how you would approach filming all four videos, both logistically and creatively, for a cohesive campaign.
Critically, these videos will need to feature stores and products in some way, and they should focus on the journey of the customer. That means that the Advance team is primarily looking for organic and authentic customer-centric videos that feel as if someone is posting to their own social channels or sending a quick video to a friend, but that happen to mention the benefits or advantages of having Advance Auto Parts as part of their lifestyle. Advance may also be able to send you products, but you should plan to purchase products at your local store as part of your budget if they are to be featured in your videos. It's important that customers know Advance Auto Parts is committed to helping them stretch their dollar without sacrificing quality or service, so we should look to potentially highlight their competitive pricing, special deals, and everyday savings. We don't want these to feel like generic, obvious advertisements that are pushing Advance Auto Parts as a brand too heavily. These videos also do not need to be elaborate; they could be as simple as someone sitting in their car, recording themselves talking about Free Services. You can even play into humor like some of their past TikToks, or you could find ways to subtly integrate the brand and perks into content; to see more fitting examples or stylistic directions you can take these videos, check out the Background.
In terms of format and execution, Advance is primarily looking for live-action concepts, though they are open to some animation or motion graphics. Knowing that the brand is looking for particularly savvy social content, "live-action" can include selfie-style, POV, or even green-screen formats that blend some live action with other visuals. This can be lo-fi smartphone-shot content, or more polished and professional, so long as the core focus remains the Free Services. Vehicles and team members do not need to be present on screen, but they can be included if it helps support your overall concepts.
Videos should take place or, at very least, end at an Advance Auto Parts store. Advance will work with you to source an approved location. A store location near you may be provided for one day of filming, but we are also open to seeing approaches that present alternative options, so consider how you might use another location, with some production design, to create something that looks like an actual Advance Auto Parts storefront, interior, or exterior. All AAP stores are located in the US, and while we are open to pitches from Canada and Mexico, there will be no additional budget available for travel. To find a location near you, use their store locator to help determine the best possible location option. Advance will have to approve the location during pre-production and can arrange for you to use the store for production.
In terms of casting, talent should also be diverse and fitting to an older Gen-Z or younger millennial, while being believable as someone who would work on their own car. If your approach does include a customer or Advance team member on camera, they'll need to be talent that you cast. Any actor that you cast as an Advance team member does not need to be a mechanic by any means, but if providing any kind of service, they'll need to be familiar with properly performing the service. Advance will provide information about the general procedures that should be followed when performing each service on camera, and they will provide thorough safety guidelines. Any team members will be required to wear the Advance team member shirt and a nametag, which Advance will also provide, but your budget must include the team member's pants, shoes, and belt, as well as wardrobe for anyone else shown in the videos. Open to using the same talent across multiple videos per filmmaking team.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 16 total video assets.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
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.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
TONE/FEEL: Confident but approachable, informative yet playful, exciting, trustworthy, and reliable
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: You may not use AI-generated visual or audio assets in your final content. However, for the purposes of your pitch and pre-production materials, you are welcome to use generative AI to create visuals, storyboards, animatics, proofs-of-concept, etc. that might help the Sponsor understand your vision for creating the final content. Additionally, assistive AI tools (e.g. object removal, compositing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitling, etc.) may be used in post-production to supplement your workflow. Please keep record of any AI usage deployed in your submissions in the event that the Sponsor requests AI disclosures. If you have questions about any specific usage or tool, please ask your Tongal producer.
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll 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 project team.
HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
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.
The most compelling pitch will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing next steps. All submitters will also receive an automated email notification that a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed.
Creators who’ve been selected will receive funding upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment. Payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal, typically included with the project timeline.
PRE-PRODUCTION BIBLE & APPROVALS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST prepare a singular pre-production "bible" document with the elements contained below, and that document MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor. We recommend that you use the bible template we provide HERE, or something very similar. The bible can be presented in stages as different elements are ready for review (i.e. it's not expected that storyboards, if required, are ready with your first draft). Apart from the below, you're also welcome to include other key items that you think would be helpful to communicate your plan (e.g. moodboards, lighting, music, shot list, etc.).
Note that there may be multiple rounds of feedback until elements are approved, and if you begin production before you have received final approval, you may need to reshoot or reanimate at your own expense.
For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot. Backlot includes search tools to help you find collaborators and crew by role, skill set, location, and more, for productions of any size and type. Tongal also supports inclusivity in all productions, and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find additional options for staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.
REVISION REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: Once Content has been submitted and the initial Production Phase completed, greenlit creators will enter into Revisions. Creators will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the Sponsor's feedback. Check out our Filmmaker Resource Portal to access helpful post-production resources like Text-Safe Guides for different platforms, Project File Organization Tutorial, Export Presets, and Captioning services.
MUSIC: If you use music from a library for your content, you MUST use one of Tongal's music providers: Universal Production Music, PrimalHouse, or Slipstream Music. Music from these providers is available to registered Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into submissions to this project, and will not require a Music Release Form. To learn more, click on any of the providers' names above.
If you use original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. Please ensure your composer reviews and signs this form BEFORE beginning their work.
STOCK FOOTAGE: Tongal has partnered with the stock footage library Storyblocks, which can be used to source video clips, photography, and After Effects templates for your video submission to this project. Video or photo content from Storyblocks is available at no charge, solely for incorporation into submissions on this project, and will not require a separate Release Form. If identifiable people or intellectual property appears in a video clip or photo, you may only utilize assets that are clearly marked “Model released: Yes” or “Property release: Yes” on the clip description pages. You may NOT use any audio.
If you intend to use Storyblocks, inform your Tongal producer, and an account will be created for you to access the library. Once assets are approved for delivery, you must provide a complete list of all Storyblocks content that you used via our template HERE.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec in order to submit final payment. You are responsible for any costs associated with the hard drive and shipping. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.