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| Don't Mess With Texas Don't Mess With Texas, the battle cry of the anti-litter campaign begun 20 years ago, is the nation's favorite slogan with more than 400, 000+ votes. Competing against national advertising campaigns like Got Milk?, Just Do It, What Happens Here Stays Here and 21 others, Don't Mess With Texas was considered a serious underdog. Since the advertising slogan contest began, creator of the Don't Mess With Texas slogan, GSD&M has engaged in a high-level PR campaign that included a strong viral effort in addition to a two governor press conference which enhanced the amount of votes. In addition, Tuerff-Davis Enviromedia who currently handles the Don't Mess With Texas account also launched their own efforts. "We congratulate the visionaries at the Texas Department of Transportation, who saw the potential 20 years ago for a tough-talking anti- litter campaign that would change the behavior of those who were trashing Texas highways, " says Tim McClure, one of four founders of advertising agency GSD&M and the author of the four famous words. "This is a wonderful recognition of their groundbreaking efforts which continue today." McClure is in New York City with representatives of TxDOT to see the unveiling of the plaque on Madison Avenue recognizing Don't Mess With Texas as the nation's favorite as part of Advertising Week 2006. The Don't Mess With Texas campaign famously began with legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan during the 1986 Cotton Bowl. In its first year, litter on Texas roadways was reduced by 29 percent. Ten years later that figure had risen to an astonishing 72 percent, far beyond anyone's expectations. The campaign became and remains the most successful anti-litter campaign in U.S. history. The slogan is recognizable to 95 percent of Texans, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. McClure and Roy Spence, another GSD&M founder, have taken the stories behind the Don't Mess With Texas legend and compiled them in a book. Don't Mess With Texas: The Story Behind the Legend (Idea City Press, September 2006) tells -- in words and pictures -- the behind-the-scenes stories of the Texans who created and starred in the campaign. The authors look back on the origins of the campaign, the controversies, the close calls and how art and science combined to accomplish the most successful antilitter campaign in American history. Beginning with Vaughan and ending with 16-year-old LeAnn Rimes in 1998, each of the memorable commercials are recounted and illustrated. Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, the stars of Greater Tuna, Randy White and Ed "Too Tall" Jones, George Foreman, Lyle Lovett and even Shamu are celebrated, as are dozens of other notable Texans who donated their time and talents to the campaign. Interspersed among the stars is the secret history of Don't Mess With Texas, the back stories known by only a handful of people until now. The 11th hour inspiration for the "battle cry." The litter expert who literally counted the trash on Texas roadsides before and during the campaign. The wardrobe malfunctions and special effects misfires. The appropriation of the saying by everyone from presidents to Madison Avenue and Hollywood. The unsung heroes who helped make the campaign the incredible success that it continues to be to this day. Don't Mess With Texas is a registered trademark of the Texas Department of Transportation. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Brenda Thompson at 512-461-5644 or brenda@brendathompson.com . Book cover image and photos of the authors are available for publication upon request. Check out http://www.dmwtbook.com/ to watch the famous commercials and preview the book. About the book: Don't Mess With Texas: The Story Behind the Legend, by Tim McClure and Roy Spence. Foreword by Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly Magazine. Published by Idea City Press, 96 pages, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-9722825-1-2. Available Sept. 1 from Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com and other retailers. About the authors: Tim McClure was born on Christmas Day in Corsicana, Texas -- the Fruitcake Capital of the World. Growing up in Texas, he never heard the word "litter" except in reference to kittens. But his mother constantly reminded him that his room was a mess. Years later he penned the four audacious words: Don't Mess With Texas. McClure is a founder of GSD&M, one of America's most successful advertising agencies. An honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, McClure is a brand architect, filmmaker, and legend builder. He balances his time between work for GSD&M clients and two new ventures, Mythos IdeaWorks and Mythos Studios, which recently produced "Texas: The Big Picture, " the first IMAX movie about the Lone Star State. Roy Spence was born in Brownwood, Texas, the son of a salesman and a schoolteacher. Along with five college friends, including Tim McClure, Spence founded GSD&M, one of the most successful advertising start-ups in the country. Some 35 years later, GSD&M has grown to be the consumer voice for some of America's most respected brands, including Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, BMW, Frito-Lay and the U.S. Air Force. Spence believes that what a company stands for is just as important as what it sells. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Spence was named Distinguished Alumnus in 2004. He has been profiled in USA Today, recognized as an "Agency Innovator" by Advertising Age and named "Adman of the Century" by Texas Monthly Magazine. About Idea City Press: As a marketer for some of the world's most prominent brands, GSD&M collaborates with an impressive network of associates and partners whose ideas are rich with curiosity and insight. GSD&M launched its publishing imprint, Idea City Press, to capture and share those ideas. Idea City Press publishes nonfiction works that inspire thought, motivate action, and are relevant to popular culture whether through marketing or some other aspect of living. New this fall is The Amazing Faith of Texas (September 2006) and Don't Mess With Texas: The Story Behind the Legend (September 2006). write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |