Local TV advertising made easy & affordable – Update

Hot on the heels of Spotrunner, which we featured a few weeks ago, comes Spotzer. Like Spotrunner, Spotzer offers ready to air TV spots at a fraction of the price of tailor-made commercials. Spotzer is currently in ‘alpha’ phase, and busy building a library of pre-produced commercials. The Dutch-American start-up will use a number of methods to keep costs down. It’s using excess capacity at large production studios and creating sets of commercials in one go, using the same amount of resources (actors, locations, travel expenses) that would traditionally be required for a single shoot. Spotzer will also be buying unused footage from ad agencies and marketing and film schools. Television archives form another source: Spotzer has access to the BBC’s archives, a veritable treasure trove for a wide range of moving images, including decades-old material that now looks delightfully retro. Last but not least, Spotzer is working on an online platform to allow freelancers and pro-amateurs to contribute video footage. All of Spotzer’s spots are suitable for use by a wide variety of companies, who can personalize videos by adding their own message and voice-over. Advertisers don’t get exclusive use of an ad; they licence it for a specific region. Spotzer offers highly targeted media planning, helping advertisers find the right mix, reach and frequency to fit their aims and budgets. Besides regular television advertising, Advertisers can also run internet and mobile video ads, as well as advertising on out-of-home television, such as digital screens in office buildings, airports and restaurants. The beauty of the concept, of course, lies in creating something once, and selling it over and over again. Opportunities? While Spotzer and Spotrunner try to conquer the North-American and European markets, now is the time to launch similar initiatives for the rest of the world.