Mountain View, Calif. - Hoping to capitalize on the fervor surrounding Super Bowl XLI but unwilling and unable to shell out millions of dollars for network TV commercials, several Bay Area tech companies have decided to shoot their own low-budget ads and post them on YouTube, the video sharing site owned by Google.

The companies, working loosely as a group, include meebo, Meez, Plaxo, RockYou.com and Technorati, as well as Florida-based Multiply.

With marketing budgets a fraction of their bubble-era predecessors, the companies used handheld video cameras to shoot the ads, then posted them on the Web for free.

For most, the issue came down to spending a reported $2.6 million for one 30 second Super Bowl ad, or paying salaries, rent and utilities.

"All told, I think we spent less than thirty bucks on our ad," said Jia Shen, the founder and CEO of RockYou.com. The ads can be viewed at the link below.

Related Links:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperDotComAdsXLI