Product Description

In December 1985, a bumper sticker bearing the words Don't Mess With Texas began appearing on pickup trucks across the Lone Star State. There was no explanation, no sponsor, just those four words and a small red, white, and blue Texas flag.

Fast-forward twenty years to 2006. Today, the longest-running public service campaign in Texas is also the most successful antilitter campaign in history. Until now, only a handful of people knew the true stories behind the legend: the stories of famous commercials and the stories about dozens of the biggest and brightest Texas stars who donated their time and considerable talents to help Texas reduce litter on its highways by an astonishing 72 percent.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #268918 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

About the Author
Tim McClure is a brand architect, author, filmmaker, and legend builder. He is one of the founders of GSD&M, one of America's most successful advertising agencies. He is also the creator of the legendary "Don't Mess With Texas" slogan and antilitter campaign.

Roy Spence is also a founder of GSD&M. 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.

Customer Reviews

Everything is Bigger in Texas
As an advertising executive, the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign is, for me, the stuff legends are made of. It was the biggest, longest-running, and most successful public service advertisement in advertising history. It's really quite astounding that a local, pro-environment campaign picked up SO much momentum and even became an important part of American pop-culture. Tim McClure and Roy Spence do an outstanding job of telling their reader everything he/she wants to know about the campaign...and then some! Everything is there--from the first seeds of the idea to the last fully developed commercial (with, of course, lots of celebrity appearances, close-calls, budgeting issues, and interesting stories in between). This is a great book. If you're interested in advertising or Texas at all, it will entertain you.

I miss Texas
This is a great book for people who are living in various parts of the country and miss Texas. Sold as a coffee table book, it's a great gift idea, providing out-of-staters with the chance to bring some of Texas home to them. The famous celebrities that appear on the pages helped to establish the campaign, further contributing to its good standing. This book serves as a reminder to Texans of just how unique the state of Texas really is. Texans are known for possessing an immense amount of pride for their state, and the excerpts in this book help to explain and reveal exactly why Texans feel this way.

A great advertising book, not just for Texans!
I am an art and photography store owner in Hartford, CT, and I was so thrilled to see this book on Amazon! The slogan just recently won an advertising competition from Madison Avenue, and is now in the Advertising Hall of Fame. I love this book because it really gives a concise but powerful retelling of the campaign. Just like the Absolut Book (about Absolut Vodka) and the several books about the milk mustache campaign, this book retells the birth and subsequent fame of the advertising campaign, and how many different tacts and approaches the firm took. Plus, it has some great pictures and examples from commercials with celebrities and the different ways the slogan caught on. Really a must have book for advertising kids everywhere, as well as artists who are interested in commercializing their work.