HomeMy WebLinkAbout16 MCAS MKTG STRATEGY 07-20-98AGEI DA
JULY 20, 1998
'1 nte r-Co m
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
WILLIAM HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
CHRISTINE SHINGLETON, ASS'T CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: A Supplement to the City Council Staff Report on the MCAS-Tustin
Marketing Strategy
Recommendation
Pleasure of the City Council
Additional Background
The Economic Development Committee at a regular meeting on July 16th reviewed
materials from Interra regarding a name for the MCAS-Tustin project.
The three names that the Committee decided should be brought forth for City
Council consideration were:
· Tustin Landing
· Tustin Horizon
· Tustin Junction
Those in attendance at the meeting then voted on the priority of the three names.
Tustin Landing received six votes, Tustin Horizon received three votes and Tustin
Junction received to votes.
AGENDA
NO. 16
7-20-98
,.
lnter-Com
DATE:
JULY 20, 1998
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
CHRISTINE SHINGLETON, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
MCAS- TUSTIN MARKETING STRATEGY
Recommendation
Pleasure of the City Council.
Fiscal Impact,
Funds for the MCAS-Tustin .Marketing Strategy have been previously appropriated.
Backqround
As the City Council is aware, the firm of Interra is currently preparing a Strategic
Marketing Plan for the MCAS-Tustin project. 'One of Interra's tasks 'is creating an
appropriate name for the site. This will assist in positioning the project and will be
reinforced in all the visual marketing materials for the project.
The Interra team has worked over the last several months with representativeS.from the
City's Economic Development Council, Planning Commission, and former members of the
MCJLS-Tustin Base Task Force to get community feedback on developing a "positioning
theme"' and a name for the MCAS-Tustin project. Attached is a memorandum from
Interra which outlines a number of points that need to be considered in naming the site
as well. as a more focused list of potential candidate names.
One of the positioning issues discussed at length at a number of Economic Development
Committee meetings has also been whether any image for positioning the site should .be
associa(ed with the history of the site as a military installation and whether the hangars
should be used as an icon for marketing purposes. Based on surveying and supplemental
discussions, there appears to be mixed feelings about whether the distinct character that
needs to be established for the site should relate to prior military activities or whether a
look and feel can be developed which is both forward and backward looking, or more
forward looking.
MCAS-Tustin Marketing Strategy
Page 2
Staff will be prepared to share a shorter list of candidate names for the site based on the
Economic Development Committee's recommendations at their meeting of July 15m. Staff
will be requesting feedback from the City Council regarding these names in the attached
materials prior to directing Interra to proceed with preparation of graphic materials.
Christine Shingleto~ Manager
Attachment
.ii -
INTERRA
TO: Christine Shingleton
FROM: Pam Engebretson, for the Interra Team
DATE: July 14, 1998
RE' A Name for MCAS Tustin
THE NAME GA_ME
As MCAS Tustin undergoes its transformation from a secured, inaccessible military base to
what will be a new focal point for Tustin, it will need designation as a definable geographic
location within the City. Our previous reports have addressed the criteria for creation of a
viable name for a real estate entity and presented a variety of names for'consideration.
·
Despite attempts to quantify the process, the development.of place names is highly subjective.
Points ofv-iew and special interests will suggest varying pre£erence~. And while a democratic
process might result in consensus, it is important to keep focused on the short and longer term
marketing requirements for the name. To that end, we offer the following observations based
on the SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), and the predictable
marketing needs of the development and development proces's.
NASflNG CONSIDERATIONS
1. "TUSTIN"
All our discussions regarding possible names have led us to conclude that the designation of
Tustin is imperative. It establishes location, affiliation, and sponsorship. It builds on the strong
equity that the City enjoys in the region. There also is consensus that Tustin as the preface to
another descriptor creates the strongest ilo',,,, and is consistent with a pattern of naming which
has emerged, such as Tustin Meadows, Tustin Ranch, and Tustin Marketplace. While it may
be argued that a change to this structure might create greater uniqueness, our belief is that
these areas and destinations within the City have established a precedent for both presence a~d
scale. The enti~-e City,'seen as a total community, is comprised of these components based
upon their land use. Tustin has done an exemplary job of defining these use zones and making
them recognizable.
2. PRESENCE
MCAS presents a unique challenge in that unlike these other components it will have a variety
of the land uses. It will be a community within the greater Tustin environment and will
replicate the land uses that occur within other defined areas of the City. Therefore, the name
must be sufficiently embracing so that the MCAS property can establish a distinct presence but
still allow for the necessary proprietary representation as a separate district of the City.
July 13, 1998
Page 2
This is important in the marketing of the development. Even though the MCAS property will
ultimately take its place as an integral part of the City, during marketing (both wholesale and
retail) it must be given its own distinct identity and image.
3. CRYi'ERIA
We have developed a list of the key criteria for naming this property. They are:
· to convey meaning and reflect the vision for the development
· to capture the nature and character of the dev'elopment
· to reflect the scale of the development
· to be distinctive and easy to recall
· to be'meaningful
· to be evocative
In addition, manY names were considered and rejected for various reasons. In most cases, it
was because they are overly used in real estate today or inappropriate to the physical location
or characteristics of the property. In some instances, the names were considered too close to
existing neighborhood names in the City (i.e. Tustin Meadows vs. Tustin Fields). They
included the w6rd Tustin followed by: "
· Village' · Courts
· 'Greens · Quad
· Circle · Crossing
', Gateway ', Fields.
' Center · Yard
· View · Place
· Square · Commons
· Triangle ' Flats -
And many more.'
CANDIDATE NAMES
The candidate names presented here allow flexible interpretation and meet most,, if not all, of
the naming considerations discussed above. We'can envision using any of these in Our
marketing materials and Program strategy, and so do not have a "preferred" name from among
this selection.
The first three names presented relate to physical location or "place" images, because real
estate project names are typically locational in reference. The Irvine Spectrum is an example of
the use of a "non-place" name that established its own meaning in relation to the place it
represents. In a similar fashion, MCAS is the next evolution of this important piece of the City.
·
July 13, 1998
Page 3
To that end, the use ora term that is related to a concept rather than place is logical and
attractive, and is the basis for the last three names proposed here.
Tustin Landing,
--
The literal definition of the word landing is '.'a place where persons and goods alight."
Landing strip and landing field have aircraft connotations and are useful for their subtle
connections to the past airship activities. However, the notion of"a place where persons
and goods alight" as a future oriented'reference for a community of activities that include
living, working, playing, learning and recreating is very flexible and workable.
Tustin Station
Although most commonly asSociated wiih transportation, the term station also connotes a
place of business or activity and of gathering. It has locational attributes that allow for .
imagery that paints a picture of community. It is'active and energetic, and has positive
potential in its reference to the more intense activities associated with the future of the
community "core."
Tustin Junction
"A place where things meet and converge,'' is the definition for the term junction as it
would be interpreted for this property. This name conjures up visions of an important
destination, while connecting to the fabric of the surrounding City. It is an attractive name
for marketing purposes because it allows flexibility to position the entire community, the
individual land uses and the connections to the City.
Tustin Meridian
·
'The meridian is "the highest point or stage of development of anything, the zenith." MCAS
Tustin can become the zenith of the City's development and this name carries with it the
positive imagery of such an effort. It is distinctive and melodic, and lends itself to ~aphic
interpretation.
Tustin Legacy
This name speaks to the past and the future. A legacy is "property bequeathed by someone,
or something handed down from the past." Inheriting a legacy implies stewardship. 'It can
reflect the City's responsibility in taking'this prime piece of property and crafting it as the
ne~:t generation of Tustin. It is a creative name for marketing purposes becfiuse it invites
opportunities to weave a variety of stories - past and future.
Tustin Horizon
The notion of horizon conjures up images oilimitless possibilities, fresh starts and new'
oppormn/ties. In its conceptual rather than physical, definition; hOrizon is "the range of an
individual's knowledge, experience, observation or.interest." It also has positive marketing
potential because of its flexibility for positioning the entire community as Well as
individual uses. The horizon can symbolize the diversity of activities to be created in this
live/~vork/play environment.