SaysMe is another startup that's trying to, in its words, democratize television advertising. It lets you purchase television ads that run in your city or other local area with your name on them, for a small fee. So, for example, anyone wanting to show support for a local sports team or a cause or charity, would have an easy and affordable TV platform.
You choose an ad from the company's web site. The ads themselves are created by producers -- either 25 second or 55 second spots that they can earn royalties on. Your name appears at the end of the ad, and you can choose your location and networks including ESPN, Comedy Central, MTV and others. Los Angeles-based SaysMe has just raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a round led by Intel Capital, with Prime Capital, Katalyst Films (actor Ashton Kutcher's company) and other angel investors. While ads run on a variety of topics, the company is trying to take advantage of the 2008 presidential election. Its homepage currently offers a selection of ads for purchase that favor the various political candidates. Some ads cost as low as $25, depending on your location and the network you're advertising on.
Besides letting producers directly submit video ads, the company also gets videos from sites like YouTube. Once you buy an ad, you can also embed it on other sites. Obviously, these ads are not going to be seen by many millions of people -- they're short, and they only run in local areas. The appeal here is vanity: Joe Schmoe gets to endorse a candidate on television, ads that will maybe be seen by people he knows. SaysMe is in some sense competing against heavily funded Spot Runner, which we've heard is getting hounded by yet more investors who want in. Spot Runner offers a more complex set of features, including voice-over text and more detailed ways for planning when and where your ad will run.