City creating new 'business card' City creating new 'business card' (November 26, 2004)

PG&E grant funds new marketing tool

By Julie O'Shea

Mountain View has a new marketing gimmick -- interactive "business cards."

CEOs interested in relocating their companies here will be given CDs the size of business cards that highlight some of Mountain View's key selling points.

The CD will include demographic statistics, a link to the city's Web site and video interviews with some of Mountain View's business leaders. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may also be making a cameo on the disc. (His people are still mulling it over, according to the disc makers.)

"We are pretty excited about it," said Ellis Berns, the city's economic development manager. "We want to move on this as quickly as possible."

A $4,000 grant from PG&E is paying for the production of the new tool.

Berns said the city had originally asked for $6,000 but was pleased to get what was offered. Money from the grant is required to be used for economic development.

"It's not easy to find funding for this," Berns said.

More business for Mountain View equals more business for PG&E, Berns said, explaining why the gas and utilities company handed out these grants.

The $4,000 will be enough to make between 50 and 100 interactive CDs, Berns estimated, adding that once the city has a design created for this new marketing tool, it will likely make more.

The city is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and Transvideo Studios to create the CDs, which are slated to be ready for distribution this spring.

"It's kind of exciting to be a part of this," said Raymond Clark, CEO of Transvideo, a Mountain View-based firm that provides live network feeds to CNN and Fox News.

Clark pointed out that this kind of marketing is brand-new but is quickly becoming popular with local city governments.

"It's been something long in coming," Clark said.

"It allows [cities] to tell a story with video. ... It becomes a much more enjoyable experience," he added

"It's just basically reality television for business," Clark joked. @email:E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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