A little less polish, please.

In today’s internet-driven, social media-obsessed, make-it-cool-but-make-it-affordable communications world, sometimes the best tactics take off a little of the polish in order to put more focus on the content.

We’ve been working on just such a substance over style approach for our friends at the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau. Dubbed “Placebook videos,” the project consists of the BCVB’s sales staff giving personalized video tours of our hometown. The videos, shot and edited by Rizen, are designed to show professional meeting and convention planners all that Boise has to offer in a comfortable, down-to-Earth style.

To accomplish this, we worked each of the sales people to create customized (both for their audience and their own, personal style) messaging, then shot the videos with a “bit better than home video” sensibility. Finally, the videos are delivered on 1G USB business card thumb drives with a fun Placebook (as opposed to Facebook) interface that includes some key facts and contact information.

To watch the videos, prospective customers just plug it into their computers and it auto runs. Then, when they’re done, they can keep the thumb for their own use.

The response to the program has been great. And by keeping production simple and in-house, it is very budget friendly — very important for an organization that creates tremendous positive economic impact in our community with very limited resources.