Posted on 09/30/2006 5:56:09 AM PDT by AnnaZ
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, September 29, 2006
The most famous advertising slogan to come out of Texas certainly lived up to its name.
"Don't mess with Texas" won a national advertising slogan contest today, beating out 25 other slogans such as Nike's "Just do it" and the Ad Council's "Friends don't let friends drive drunk."
The winner was selected through an "American Idol"-style online voting drive that started in June and ended Thursday. The contest was part of Advertising Week, the industry's annual event in New York.
Thanks to an aggressive get-out-the vote drive and e-mail campaign sponsored by GSD&M, the Austin agency that originated the slogan, and Tuerff-Davis EnviroMedia Inc., which runs the campaign now, the slogan won by a landslide, with more than 400,000 votes.
The slogan will be displayed on banners along a block of New York's Madison Avenue and will be permanently recognized in the Advertising Icon Museum in Kansas City, Mo., which is expected to open in 2008.
"It is pretty incredible that 'Don't mess with Texas,' a state agency slogan, managed to edge out sexy Madison Avenue advertising slogans like 'Just do it,' " said Valerie Davis, CEO of EnviroMedia.
The idea was to get as many Texans as possible to vote, Davis said. The agency enlisted help from the University of Texas Alumni Association and did an online campaign with the latest "Don't mess with Texas" commercial, featuring Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong. It had a link attached so people could vote.
Meanwhile, the "Don't mess with Texas" account came up for review during the summer. EnviroMedia got to keep its high-profile client for another three years.
"Don't mess With Texas" is an anti-litter campaign run by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The famous slogan was created by Tim McClure, a co-founder of GSD&M. GSD&M held the "Don't mess with Texas" account until 1998, when it gave up the account.
McClure said he thought of the slogan during an early morning walk around his neighborhood the day before his agency was going to make its final pitch to the Texas Department of Transportation.
At first, McClure said, agency officials were cool to the idea and wanted to change it to the more polite "Please, don't mess with Texas."
But, McClure said the commanding "Don't mess with Texas" won out. It really got into the DNA of Texans, he said, and was an instant sensation when the first commercial, featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan, aired during the 1986 Super Bowl.
Twenty years later, the slogan has become ingrained in pop culture, emblazoned on T-shirts and bumper stickers and invoked by athletes and politicians.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Don't mess with Texas," GSD&M founders Roy Spence and McClure wrote a book about how it was created and the various advertising campaigns surrounding it.
lrockwell@statesman.com; 445-3819
A hollow slogan IMO, didn't Houston just change the name of it's MLS team because it PO'd the Mexicans.
Truth in advertizing, heh heh.
PUKE.
I've never lived in a state where the ad industry had such an inferiority complex. There must be a state law such that every other commercial on the TV/radio must say the word "Texas" in it a minimum of 20 times. Some will call it pride, but as an outsider living in Texas for a couple years, it smacked of desperate.
Other than that, the people were VERY nice and didn't seem to find the need to mention Texas every other sentence. I just wonder why the ad wizards thought it was so necessary.
Wow, this thread really illustrates how some Freepers will reflexively bitch about absolutely anything!
I liked the Texas tourism slogan: "Texas! It's like a whole other country!"
God Bless Texas!
I don't think the state ad industry has any sort of inferiority complex. Instead their work is reflective of the Texas persona, attitude and mystique. Maybe you didn't live here long enough to "get" it?
Huh?
Ooh, I like that!
Yeah, mexico. lol
I love it. To me it says, "We'll kick your ass!"
= )
That was cute!
Yep, they'll bitch over diddly-squat.
Eyyyyy-oooooo!
LOL. "It ain't braggin' if it's true."
Texas: The world's largest frat house.
(Have I mentioned how much I love the Texas-shaped pretzels?)
Frankly, I think it's a great saying. Growing up I heard that there were two types of people in the world: those from Texas and those who wished they were.
"Wisconsin: You're among friends."
Doesn't that sound inspiring and tough? (Runs and hides)
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