Branding, Development and Marketing Action Plan League City, Texas January, 2011 2 League City, Texas - January, 2011 Table of Contents Introduction and Scope of Work . 5 Executive Summary . 9 Brand Promise . 19 League City Brand . 23 Recommendations . 27 #1: Create a Brand Leadership Team. 28 #2: Develop a Downtown Master Plan . 31 #3: Sell the brand throughout the community . 38 #4: League City trail system . 39 #5: Design the wayfinding system . 40 #6: Recruit seasonal recreation vendors . 42 #7: Arrange for technical retail assistance . 43 #8: Create a business incubator . 44 #9: Recruit Class A office space .. 45 #10: Develop additional special events . 46 #11: Support proposed commuter rail line . 47 #12: Beautify traffic corridor on I-45 along Main St .. 48 #13: Implement assessment findings and suggestions . 49 #14: Begin the business recruitment effort . 50 #15: Create the Brand Style Guide . 51 #16: Create a professional photo library . 52 #17: Hire graphic design assistance . 53 #18: Marketing . 54 #18a: Redevelop the marketing pieces . 54 #18b: Create the brand posters . 56 #18c: Create the brand bookmark .. 62 #18d: Create a “Best of” League City brochure . 63 #18e: Create the business cabinet. 64 #18f: Advertising concepts . 65 #18g: Create a League City marketing website . 71 #18h: Create a Community Profile. 73 League City, Texas - January, 2011 3 Table of Contents (cont.) #18i: Contract for professional public relations services . 74 #19: Tourism promotion focus . 75 #20: Main Street USA affiliation . 76 Supplemental Information . 77 The Downtown Idea Book . 78 Sample ordinances: - Sidewalk cafes . 110 - Street performers and vendors . .114 - Signage design review board . 117 - Facade guidelines and procedures. 120 Developing Critical Mass - Recruiting and rearranging businesses . 122 Downtown Wi-Fi zones . .124 Why an amphitheater? Case histories, feasibility, photos. 127 Public market case histories . .144 Local survey response summaries . .159 Demographic Information . 162 Sample case histories: - Georgetown, Washington DC . 190 - Pearl District in Portland, OR . 192 25 Steps to Recruitment . .193 Contact information . .197 4 League City, Texas - January, 2011 Introduction & Scope of Work League City, Texas - January, 2011 5 Introduction and Scope of Work Introduction and Scope of Work League City is located in southeastern Texas between City still has some challenges . Most of the city’s The primary goal of this effort is to develop a Galveston and Houston, on the south shore of Clear residents commute to another place each day for their comprehensive vision or “brand” for League City that Lake . State Highway 3 and Interstate Highway 45 jobs, leaving the city virtually empty . Many residents maximizes its current assets and amenities, while provide easy transportation routes north and south . spend most of their leisure time and money outside providing recommendations for the development of Well-known for its excellent quality of life, residents the city as well . Downtown League City is lacking the “product” necessary to support the brand vision . The enjoy a wealth of recreational opportunities, excellent cohesion and critical mass of businesses to make it a recommended brand direction will enable the city schools, historical sites, a large marina, cultural events, central gathering space where residents would want to stand out from the other communities in the area, and beautiful residential neighborhoods . to spend time and money . making it more attractive for local residents as well as visitors . Initially the site of a Karankawa Indian village, the Seeing the need to create a town center that will area was settled in the 1870s by several families: the attract business, residents, and visitors, in 2009 the As the title of the plan implies, it includes the brand Butlers, Cowarts and Perkinses, who brought Longhorn city hired Destination Development, Inc . to produce a direction - what you want to be known for; product cattle and ranching equipment with them . When J . C . Community Assessment . development - what you need to do or create so you League arrived, he acquired land by the railroad, and “own” the brand; and marketing - how to tell the world . laid out the town site . He provided land for the town’s The Community Assessment is the first step necessary first school and churches . In 1907, League had two in a branding process, and it included: (1) a distance In order to achieve these objectives, League City hired railroad flatcars of live oak trees delivered, and Butler marketing assessment where two secret shoppers Destination Development to perform the following supervised the planting of these trees along Main planned a trip to the area and reviewed the city’s scope of work to produce the Branding, Development Street . Many of them still grace the city today, and are marketing effort, including websites, brochures, and Marketing Action Plan: known as the Butler Oaks . guides, and other marketing materials; and (2) a multi- day on-site assessment where DDI looked at League Meetings with Local Stakeholders City’s attractions and amenities, signage, wayfinding, The early townspeople raised cattle, Satsuma oranges, DDI met with stakeholders who will play a role in the overall appeal, downtown, visitor information, strawberries, vegetables and figs . A variety of small effort, learning more about local concerns, direction, operating hours, beautification, business mix, and businesses, some factories, a bank, and a lumber opportunities, organizations, and businesses . company enabled the small town to gradually grow branding focus . over the years . Today, the 55 square mile city has a Establishment of an introductory “Brand Development The findings from these assessments were population estimated at 65,351 in 2006 and has been Committee,” or steering committee, to be DDI’s partner presented to the League City community in a listed as one of America’s Top Rated Smaller Cities in the plan development process . by Grey House Publications . The median household public presentation, followed up by a Findings and Suggestions Report . Following the assessment, the income in the city was $67,838 in 1999, 1 .7 times Community Branding Forum higher than that of the state of Texas, which was city saw that producing a Branding, Development and Two members of DDI’s staff visited League City $39,927 . The poverty rate was less than one-third that Marketing Action Plan would help them to achieve conducting community outreach for education, of the rest of the state as well . their goals of attracting visitors and more businesses, reinvigorating downtown, and creating a city in which feedback, brainstorming, and researching and Even with prosperity and many advantages, League residents enjoy spending their time and money . analyzing all of the information and input that was 6 League City, Texas - January, 2011 Introduction and Scope of Work received . A public meeting was held to educate the brand to life . The DDI team generated the product public about the basics of branding, and to solicit the development initiatives that will reinforce and values, vision, and needs of the stakeholders and the contribute to the growth of the brand . community . Marketing Recommendations A public open house was also held in the city in the evening to provide opportunity for additional public DDI then developed recommendations for marketing input and discussion . League City, getting the word out about what League City has to offer . Graphic identity concepts, tag lines Brand Identification and key marketing messages, as well as Internet recommendations, public relations initiatives and Upon return to their office, the DDI team reviewed advertising possibilities were addressed . all the research, reviews, interview summaries, demographic and psychographic research, market The resulting draft Branding, Development and data, community input, and on-site evaluations . Marketing Action Plan is designed to provide League Additional research was conducted as feasibility City with the vision and steps needed to successfully testing was undertaken . Through the results of this brand the city with its unique theme, to attract visitors analysis and through brainstorming and discussion, and new businesses, engage local residents, increase League City’s most feasible brand was identified . spending and enable local businesses to prosper, and increase local tax base, as well as to increase DDI looked for existing resources that would create the community pride and enjoyment of the city . most economical pathway to developing a “product” that could become THE brand for League City . Which assets have the potential to deliver the greatest return on investment? Every branding effort requires product development, so we looked for brand ideas that would leverage current assets . Each promising brand concept – each suggestion received from members of the community – was measured against our brand feasibility test . Product Development Recommendations A city’s brand is a promise of what people will experience while there . The city must deliver on that promise with the product in place that brings the League City, Texas - January, 2011 7 Introduction and Scope of Work 8 League City, Texas - January, 2011 Executive Summary League City, Texas - January, 2011 9 Executive Summary Executive Summary If you were to hop in your car, jump onto Interstate new business, investment, residents or visitors to your Because local residents, for the most