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Straight from the "Why on earth didn't I think of that?" file is Thumbnail Spots, a creation of
Montreal-based animator and commercial producer Michael Mills. In business since 1974 creating
animated ads for a long list of national advertisers. Michael Mills Productions has created a series of
generic animated television spots for, as he puts it, "the little guy."
Mills says he has been toying with the idea of Thumbnail Spots for about five years and finally started
production on the 42 animated ads (available in either 15 or 30-second formats) last year. The purpose
of Thumbnail Spots is to offer any small business owner who may be in need of an advertising boost
some ready-made commercials for their operation, whether it be a pet store, garden center, courier
service, dry cleaner, florist or any of the 20 campaigns featured in the first volume of cartoon ads.
Thumbnail Spots works as follows: Mills and his team produce a commercial or series of commercials
for specific kinds of businesses found in every market. He then sells the entire volume of ads to television
broadcasters in various markets. The broadcaster can then sell exclusivity of the spot to a small business
in the station's market area for the cost of airtime.
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Mills launched Thumbanil Spots at the National Association of Broadcasters convention this year in Las
Vegas and says it was received very enthusiastically. Having only started shipping out the first volume a
few weeks ago, Mills says broadcasters, both in Canada and the U.S. are showing a great deal of interest.
"It is a new concept, of course, for most television stations, because generally they are used to selling not
to buying," says Mills, "However, in a lot of cases, particularly in the larger market areas, they are
budgeting in the next financial year to buy Thumbnail Spots."
The spots come without strings once purchased, harboring no hidden costs or limitations on usage. Mills
says because the ads are animated, an added appeal is that there are no residuals.
When sold by a broadcaster or cable company to a client, it is the responsibility of the station to add in
the client's logo and a voice-over to make it look like a customized commercial. For the sake of
continuity, Thumbnail Spots also offer promotional and point-of-sale materials, including posters and
price tags (when applicable), to businesses purchasing spots Mills says although Thumbnail Spots will not
pay for the printing, it will supply all of the camera-ready artwork.
Mills and company are currently at work on the next set of Thumbnail Spots, which will include generic
"Your name here" ads for fitness centers, sports stores and computer outlets.
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