Carpentersville could participate in promotional video program

Carpentersville could soon partner with a New York-based firm to create a set of promotional videos that village officials say would support their rebranding initiative.

The village board last week unanimously supported participating in a community video program offered by CGI Communications, a marketing company specializing in municipalities and small businesses.

Through a pending agreement, CGI would commit to writing, filming and editing five videos promoting Carpentersville, at no cost to the village, Economic Development Director Patrick Burke said. In turn, the village would agree to write a "letter of introduction" the firm could use to solicit interest from local businesses, he said.

"We thought this would play well into our branding efforts, getting more video content out there on our (website) and on social media," Burke said. "It's a good way to promote the community."

The videos would be available through a link on the village's website, according to the proposal. Businesses have the option of paying $500 to have their web links displayed around the Carpentersville videos, Burke said. They also could hire CGI to create promotional videos for their own marketing purposes - a service that would cost up to $5,000, depending on the length.

"I think that makes it attractive for maybe an up-and-coming business that wants to put out a video," said Trustee Paul Humpfer, who also chairs the business development commission. "This is an opportunity for them, at a relatively low price, instead of having to go out and do it on their own."

The Carpentersville videos would be produced for free regardless of whether any businesses decide to use CGI's digital products, Burke said.

"There's absolutely no obligation to the businesses to participate," he said.

Village officials are still in the due diligence phase, Burke said, noting they're investigating how the video production would work and talking with other communities that have previously participated in the program. If the deal with CGI is finalized, he said, filming likely would begin in the spring or summer.

Last week, trustees said they believe the partnership would be a positive step forward in highlighting the benefits of living and working in Carpentersville. The village is in the midst of a rebranding initiative, which will include a redesigned website and a new logo, Burke said.

"This really falls into that (effort)," he said. "We just want to make sure it would be a benefit to the community."