Assignment 4: Final Project Cathy Lielausis

My pitch is below and the SB is attached. I had trouble thinking of questions that might be asked. Jeff what do you hear a lot?

Cathy's Cat Trees Storyboard Pitch

As you may know, cats are America's favorite pet. According to recent surveys, more than 90 million cats have found homes in the United States. Their owners commonly have more than one cat, and are more often women than men. In fact, the average person who purchases cat products is a 46 year-old woman. In the United States alone, nearly 36 billion dollars were spent on pet products in 2005, and 63% of cat owners buy gifts for their pets, including cat trees.

Competition is fierce in the cat tree market with hundreds of companies vying for the pet owner's attention, both in person and online. However, the innovative interchangeable construction of Cathy's Cat Trees is the only one of its kind. The storyboard I'm about to present will focus not only on the beauty and fun of the trees, but on the thing that makes them stand out, the interchangeable branches.

We will focus primarily on the female cat owner with more than one cat for this commercial spot. In panel one, we introduce two kittens. We want to choose very cute and playful kittens so that we can grab and keep the viewer's attention. The kittens are clearly bored, and decide to scratch the furniture. In panel 2, the camera follows the kittens as they run, presumably towards the owner's expensive furniture. Suddenly the kittens stop as they spot something (panel 3) - it's a new Cathy's Cat Tree. A quick cut shows the basic unit without attached limbs (panel 4). In panel 5 the two kittens look at each other with delight and decide to play on the Cathy's Cat Tree. The furniture is saved! Off the kittens run to climb up and explore their new gym (panel 6 and 7).

A gentle woman's voice narrates the rest of the spot. It is important to emphasize the beauty and uniqueness of the tree, and well as to show how much the kittens and cats enjoy playing and sleeping on it. Panels 7 through 11 show the kittens climbing and playing on the tree, from a cat's-eye view. In actual filming of the spot, this sequence could be varied to achieve the cutest possible shots that also show off the tree's construction. In panel 9 we discuss the exceptional quality of the construction, and panel 10 introduces the add-on design.

Panels 12 to 14 are quick one-second close-ups of each of the add-on units. Panel 15 shows the mounting method and hardware so that the audience can see how easy it is to add in a new branch. In panel 16, the two kittens are now grown-up cats, and a new kitten comes running up to a tree with one limb. The next panel is a quick, one-second shot of a two-limb tree so that the viewer can imagine it put together.

In panel 18, we introduce the viewer to the add-on toys: first by showing a kitten playing with the catnip ball; then in panel 19 the kitten is playing with the papyrus plant. Notice that the cute factor is kept high.

The spot is tied up in panel 20 with a shot of one of the cat's asleep in a Lily's Pad unit with the titling: Cathy's Cat Trees-only the best for your cat. The narrator concludes by telling the viewers where to buy the trees. In summary, cute playing kittens use the tree instead of the furniture, and then demonstrate the different ways to set up the tree, play on the tree, and finally, happily sleep on the tree. Thank you. Do you have any questions?

1. How long is the spot? Between 30 seconds and 1 minute depending on how much time you want to spend on watching kittens play. You could produce a long version and a short version for different time slots or channels.

2. How much will this cost to produce? I don't know. I will be happy to ask the advertising director at my agency to provide a quote for you, if you like.

Other strategies for presentation: Dress professionally; maintain eye contact; use firm handshake; chat about cats - ask to see pictures if appropriate; invite client to lunch after meeting; try to schedule follow-up meeting.

Reference:

American Pet Product Manufacturer's Association Survey, 2006 (www.appma.org)