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Wouldn't it be great to advertise on TV without busting your budget? Thumbnail Spots may
be just what the publicist ordered. The brainchild of Michael Mills, a Montreal animator and
director, Thumbnail Spots are pre-fabricated 15- and 30- second ads that combine animation
and live action. Each spot is a unique sketch, with its own graphics and storyline, for local
retailers such as florists or drycleaners. The ads also have original music, sound effects and
suggested scripts. Retailers simply add their own voiceover and logo. These pre-produced
spots allow smaller companies to take advantage of TV advertising, but avoid its often
prohibitively expensive costs, says Mills, who is president of Michael Mills Productions Ltd.
Now a local pizza maker can compete with Domino's.
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Michael sells his ads to TV stations or cable networks to stimulate local advertising. They in
turn offer them to local advertisers. They in turn offer them to local retailers, whose only cost is the
air time: $500 and up (depending on where and when your ad plays), compared with
$15,000 or more if an advertiser was starting from scratch.
Stations in Quebec, B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta have already picked up Thumbnail
Spots, and Mills is now selling Stateside. Ray McBeth is one fan. We've had a super
response to Thumbnail Spots, says McBeth, sales manager for RD-TV in Red Deer, Alta.
Retailers are impressed with the incredible quality and think the price is just right. |
