Screen Saver Site Lets Advertisers Embed Messages

Savescreen.com will launch Dec. 10, allowing consumers to build their own personalized screensavers containing integrated advertising.

The screensavers are built from predefined templates, making it easy to create professional-looking, personalized screensavers. Each template covers a theme, including movies, artists, events or greetings, so that targeted advertising is straightforward and effective, the company said.

Each screensaver will generate thousands of free exposures and dozens of additional visitors to the advertisers’ Web site, the company said. Theme- specific and targeted advertising banners are automatically mixed into every screensaver. If users click on a banner, their click-through is registered and charged to the advertiser. The banner exposures themselves are free of charge.

“Unlike online greeting cards, building screensavers has always been a pain,” said Frank Hoen, president of Savescreen.com. “With Savescreen.com creating professional screensavers is a snap.”

Advertisers can also have Savescreen create customized themes or screensavers for them. Portal sites, for example, can transparently link to Savescreen.com, and have visitors use the screensaver service as if it were running on their own sites, the company said.

Users can build custom screensavers without advertising, using their own layout, uploaded artwork, sound, transitions, messages and hyperlinks for $9.95.

Savescreen is a subsidiary of privately held Netpresenter and uses the Netpresenter multimedia player.