PAE Media Video/Animation Contest


Challenge Description

PAE Media seeks a short animation that explains what “brand-driven TV” really is, in a creative yet simple way.


Contest Introduction

TV Advertising is exciting but limited, especially in China. New regulations limit ad time to only 15 seconds per ad; that’s not a lot of time to communicate brand values and give information on important topics, nor enough time to engage viewers with a product and its highlights. Besides, people watch TV because they want to be entertained. The slap-in-the-face kind of commercial break is often used to go grab a snack in the kitchen and come back in time for when the show continues.

Product placement was created as a new way of displaying a product during a show. Companies were told that sticking their product into a show, by having an actor hold their product, or simple placing the product into the background during a scene, would somehow drive consumer preference and influence their purchasing choices. But how likely is that?

Brand-Driven TV is different. It’s exciting. Entertaining. Authentic. Brand-driven TV makes the brand part of the story, an actor in the show, and weave brand information into the fabric of the story. Brand-driven TV shows don’t need logo placement or extensive branding because they create a setting for organically integrating a company’s products and communicate their brand messages in a subtle, yet powerful way. And this is what we do at PAE Media.

Brand Driven TV 101
Here are some ways to think about brand-driven TV versus product placement:

Product placement is static. A product just sits there.
Brand-driven is active and dynamic. The brand is a given character and personality and interacts with others.
Product placement is black and white. Brand-driven is color.
Product placement is flat, 1-dimensional. Brand-driven is 3d. It leaps right out at you.
You can place a product in a scene for a few seconds or you can create a show around your brand.
Product placement is a glass of whisky. Brand-driven is James Bond.


Story examples

One Scene. Two Versions of The Goat.

Version 1: Product Placement
In the living room: Exciting discussion about a missing friend. Right in the middle of it while the discussion continues, the camera focus on the PAE Goat for 5 seconds.

Version 2: Brand Driven TV with final product integration
In the living room: Talking about a missing friend. He is so great, friendly, creative, funny, reliable. Everybody loves him. “We miss him,” the characters lament. They tell a story about the friend eating paper plates at the company picnic. Finally, a knock on the door. The friend is back. And here he is, the PAE goat.


Perception / Tone / Guidelines

Dynamic, exciting, fun, communicative, creative
Elegant, semi-corporate, high production value, high visibility
Use PAE Media and PAE marketing & branding efforts in a new and different way
Information should have a fresh and mind opening tone
Easy to understand and not too much information


Prize

PAE Media Video/Animation Contest

The winning project will be automatically nominated for the annual PAE Media Golden Goat Award in the Media category. Exposure all over China in diverse industries, management and corporation levels, prize money and yes, also a unique prize: A wonderfully fake iPhone.

Exposure. The clip will be launched with the new PAE Media homepage. It will be placed on full display on the website and it will be used in every PAE Media first contact presentation given all over China. Our clients are, in general, large international companies that are known for their strong interest in unique, innovative, and creative ways of communicating.

Prize Money. The winner will receive CNY 8,500 (or equivalent currency).

Requirements

General rule: No branding other than PAE Media branding. You will receive a media package upon enrolling.

As you may have figured out, at PAE Media — and PAE in general — we have a thing for goats (visually, only visually). If you find a way of including a goat or two, or even a whole mountainside, in your clip, we would very much appreciate it. But this is not a necessity and will not give you any extra points. It will make us very happy though.


Time Line

Stage I: Contest Application
Contest Period: Running for 30 days
Start: 1st of July, 2010
End: 31st of July 2010
Contestant needs to: Register at PAE Media Contest Homepage


Stage II: Details
Once contestant has registered he/she has to deliver rough idea.

Time Period: max. 10 days
Contestant needs to provide: Rough idea about storyline
Graphical sample for the story
References from former projects (at least one animation sample)
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: contest@pae-media.com


Stage III: Evaluation
Evaluation will start on the 9th of July 2010.

Time Period: 5 days
PAE Media will: Provide detailed feedback on work
Choose best idea
Inform other contestants about the outcome
Send digital package to winner of idea round


Stage IV: Production
Time Period: 10-14 days
PAE Media will: Provide constant feedback on production process
Contestant will: Provide ongoing communication of the progress


Stage V: Finalization
Time Period: 2 days


Clip Specifications

Start PAE Media Logo
End PAE Media Logo
Spot length max. 2 minutes
Digital file .mov (Quick Time)
Format Moving pictures (no further restriction). Any format is welcome.
Sound Yes
If you use sound, add the sound file also separately
Words Written Yes, as subtitle or floating words
Words Spoken Preferably not
If you use words, add the audio file also separately
Language English


Digital Package
The package from PAE Media will include:
PAE Media Logo Adobe Illustrator file (ready to print)
PAE Logo Adobe Illustrator file (ready to print)
PAE Goat Adobe Illustrator file (ready to print)
PAE Media Color code
PAE Color code
PAE Office Pictures
PAE Media Fonts
PAE Fonts


This is the link to the website: http://www.pae-media.com/contest/