Produce two powerful live-action broadcast videos, with accompanying social videos, for Ross-Simons to communicate that everyone deserves beautiful fine jewelry they can afford and that Ross-Simons is THE place to go for gold, gemstones, and diamonds.
This product is only available for filming in the United States, so while you can be based in another country, you must be able to film in the United States.
At the core of the company, Ross-Simons believes that everyone deserves beautiful, fine jewelry. Most Jewelry consumers have never even heard the name Ross-Simons or realize that they exclusively sell fine jewelry and have one of the broadest assortments available online ranging from affordable accessories and simple earrings to Estate jewelry and high-carat diamond tennis necklaces. Ross-Simons has it all when it comes to fine jewelry and now they want to find new customers who are looking to purchase diamonds, gold, and gemstones for themselves or loved ones that work for every style and every budget.
The goal of this project is to produce two different live-action broadcast videos, along with some accompanying cutdowns, that find an impactful way to communicate that "You Can Finally Afford the Beautiful Fine Jewelry You’ve Always Wanted" in a compelling and engaging way and then drive viewers to their website. It is important that these videos do not feel like every other jewelry ad. If you've paid attention to jewelry content, you'll have noticed that most jewelry commercials contain the same tired imagery of women wearing jewelry and smiling to themselves with very little energy or story, but that's not the direction we want to go here. Ross-Simons previously made the Your Story video, which is a great example of what we are NOT looking for with these videos. This video was too generic and was not effective. We are looking for a distinctive narrative that drives the point that with Ross-Simons there is no trade-off between Luxury and Value. A great example of what we are looking for is their last Lab-grown Diamond video which had the talent speaking directly to the camera and was effective for the brand in messaging, look, and style. While they do want to use the line "Luxury or Value? Why Choose?" as it embodies that when you shop with Ross-Simons you don't have to sacrifice quality or savings when it comes to jewelry, we are open to your creative approach to the exact messaging that you can read more about in the Background.
We are looking for something even more fresh and vibrant, without necessarily feeling like they're going for a much younger audience. We primarily want to speak to an audience of established women, ages 30-60, who are looking to buy themselves classic, elegant and unique jewelry. These videos can of course still relate to anyone who may be looking to buy jewelry as a gift for a loved one, but you should hone in on messaging and a creative approach that's intended for individuals looking to find the best jewelry for the best prices. We want Ross-Simons shoppers to feel special, savvy, and confident when purchasing their jewelry. As most are not aware of who Ross-Simons are, we want to make sure their name becomes associated with beautiful fine jewelry at affordable prices and that when viewers visit their website they are so impressed by the pricing that they don't want to wait another day to purchase the jewelry that they deserve.
In terms of creative approaches, we are open to all sorts of live-action executions. Ross-Simons has found that a testimonial-style approach with a more sophisticated character that talks directly to the audience can often perform best for their audience. Narrative approaches are also on the table, as are more dynamic editing styles, but you need to ensure your characters are connecting with the audience without feeling like a boring, generic jewelry ad. You can also potentially look at having more than one talent featured in your spot, as well as highlighting one specific type of jewelry such as gold, gemstones, diamonds, or a combination of fine jewelry as a whole. These videos should feel full of life, but not be too flashy with neon colors or dance sequences; their audience is classic, elegant, timeless, but not boring.
When it comes to the two :30 videos, one of the videos should focus on purchasing jewelry for yourself and the other video should focus specifically on giving jewelry as a gift during the holiday (non-holiday specific, able to use year-round). The setting and storyline of each video can be similar, but the two videos must stand on their own. They should have different scripts or messaging, could potentially have completely different endings, and potentially have additional or different casting. You will also need to create two :15 cutdowns of each video, one for purchasing yourself and one for gifting during the holidays. You can also feel free to mix between talent talking directly to the camera and using VO over product shots or the end cards. Note also that these videos may be used during holidays, like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. but they are NOT holiday videos, so they should feel like they can be used at any time during the year, though we may ask the talent to record VO lines for special discounts or offers that may be added to the creative at a later date.
Ross-Simons will be on set and providing all jewelry, but we recommend you include in your pitch how you'll account for security during production. They will be choosing two filmmakers from the Pitch Qualification Phase to further develop their concept through a revised treatment and initial drafts of all scripts. We expect that each scripted approach will be very different creatively, so if you're experienced in the jewelry space and want the best shot, it might help to propose more than one concept in your Pitch. If your concept allows, you may also be asked to provide a Spanish Language VO, along with the accompanying budget, for each of your videos.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 4 total assets.
TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We anticipate content will be used on the platforms listed below, but if casting talent, please be sure your talent reviews the required Talent Release, as it is not limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices page.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
TONE:
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
MESSAGING TO CONSIDER:
Supporting Messages:
REFERENCE VIDEOS/PHOTOS FOR INSPIRATION OR TONE:
PITCH QUALIFICATION PHASE:
In order to be considered for the full Pitch Phase, you must include the below materials in your Pitch Qualification Submission. This Phase gives filmmakers the opportunity to submit a 500-character synopsis with some initial creative thoughts, and tell us a bit more about your team. Two creators will then be given $750 to develop more robust treatments as part of the Pitch Phase.
PITCH PHASE:
If selected to move forward to the Pitch Phase, you will be sent additional information about the campaign to create a robust Treatment as part of your pitch. You must include the below materials in your pitch submission to be considered for this project. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.
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 REQUIREMENTS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor on the elements below. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until an element is approved.
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 three music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound. 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 choose to 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.