Don't Mess with Texas

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This article is about the slogan used by the Texas Department of Transportation. For the album, see Don't Mess wit Texas. For the film that used the slogan as a working title, see Hot Pursuit (2015 film).
Sign used on Texas highways

"Don't Mess with Texas" is a slogan for a campaign aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The phrase "Don't Mess with Texas" is prominently shown on road signs on major highways, television, radio and in print advertisements. The campaign is credited with reducing litter on Texas highways roughly 72% between 1987 and 1990.[1] The campaign's target market was 18- to 35-year-old males, which was statistically shown to be the most likely to litter. While the slogan was not originally intended to become a statewide cultural phenomenon, it did.

Beyond its immediate role in reducing litter, the slogan has been popularly appropriated by Texans. The phrase has become "an identity statement, a declaration of Texas swagger" and

registered trademark, the department has tried at times to enforce its trademark rights with cease and desist letters,[3]
but has had very limited success. The slogan is the title of the book, Don’t Mess With Texas: The Story Behind the Legend.

"Don't Mess with Texas" has been awarded a plaque on the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame and a place in the

Advertising Hall of Fame, a distinction given to only two slogans annually.[4]

"Don't Mess with Texas" is also the official motto of the

Virginia-class submarine USS Texas
.

In 2011 the result of a public vote for the best "Don't Mess with Texas" ad over the last 25 years was revealed, the winner was one created by the

B-17 "Sentimental Journey
" pursuing and retaliating against a truck from which trash was thrown.

History

The crest for the submarine USS Texas. The phrase "Don't Mess with Texas!" can be seen on the lower half of the crest.

In 1985 the TxDOT asked Mike Blair and Tim McClure of

GSD&M to create a slogan for an anti-littering campaign. At the time the state of Texas spent about $20 million annually to clean litter from highways. McClure said that "bubbas in pickup trucks" who regularly littered beer cans and other items out of vehicle windows and ordinary Texans who believed that littering was a "God-given right" were targets of the advertising campaign. McClure said that he created the slogan when he saw garbage while walking near his house. Emanuella Grinberg of CNN said that McClure had "an eleventh hour 'aha' moment" when, after looking at the trash, he recalled his mother telling him that his room was messy. "McClure said 'It occurred to me that the only time I'd heard the word litter was in reference to dogs. Mess seemed like it would resonate better.'"[6] McClure's slogan is believed to be the first written use of "Don't mess with Texas", although there are earlier uses of "Don't mess with..." such as the 1966 Marvelette's song "Don't Mess with Bill
".

The creators initially had difficulty convincing TxDOT to adopt the slogan. The creators said that the administrators were "buzz-cutted, conservative kind of characters." The creators joked that the board members' average age was 107. McClure recalled that "The crowd was sprinkled with 'Keep America Beautiful' and 'Keep Texas Beautiful' folks, and our audience is 18-to-24 young males." McClure added that "The 'Keep Texas Beautiful' lady said, 'Can we at least say please?' I said, 'No ma'am, you cannot use the line if you put please in front of it.' If not for the vision of Don Clark, the then Director of Travel and Information Division of the Texas Highway Department, the slogan would have never been used. Clark went ahead with the slogan without the support of the TxDOT administrators. After the first televised ad with Stevie Ray Vaughan aired, Clark jokes that he went to work the next day and was unsure if he would be fired. TxDOT decided to ask the public for comment and there was a resounding positive result."[7]

The campaign began in 1985 with a series of bumper stickers. In 1986 the slogan premiered its first television advertisement, featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan, at the 50th Annual Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 1986, singing the "Eyes of Texas" with the line "Don't Mess with Texas" added at the end of the song.[6] Since then, numerous musicians, athletes, celebrities and other famous Texans have appeared in "Don't Mess with Texas" radio and television public service announcements, including:

In a 12-year period with the agency GSD&M, over 26 television spots appeared.[6]

Due to the budget cuts of the Great Recession, TxDOT has expanded the use of the licence to sell "Don't Mess With Texas" related souvenirs in "state run rest areas, and travel information centers" in order to fill in its budget gaps. Until 2012, the organization was forbidden to do so due to federal regulations.[8]

After learning that 96% of Texans had heard the phrase "Don't mess with Texas" but only 61% of Texans knew the slogan meant don't litter, TxDOT began brainstorming new campaign ideas to re-emphasize the original meaning of the campaign. In 2009, TxDOT launched a new campaign including new TV and radio featuring George Strait telling Texans that "Don't mess with Texas means don't litter". This slogan is still used in all of the campaigns and radio ads.[9]

As of 2023, the San Antonio, Texas-based advertising agency, GDC Marketing & Ideation manages the "Don't mess with Texas" brand.[10][11]

Unauthorized use of the trademark

Since 2000, TxDOT has contacted over 100 companies and organizations with cease and desist letters regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark phrase. State officials claim that protecting the trademark helps the state preserve the slogan's anti-littering message.[2]

References in popular culture

See also

References

  1. ^ Tim McClure and Roy Spence, Don't Mess with Texas: The Story Behind the Legend, Idea City Press, 2006, p. 15. [ISBN missing]
  2. ^ a b c d Fernandez, Manny (14 September 2013). "Not to Be, Um, Trifled With, Texas Guards Its Slogans". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  3. ^ "No Messing Around With Texas' Slogan". Los Angeles Times. 2004-07-06. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  4. ^ Rockwell, Lilly (29 September 2006). "'Don't Mess with Texas' named top ad slogan". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on 2006-10-10. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  5. ^ "Confederate Air Force wins best ad in 25 years". Texas Department of Transportation. 2011-02-21. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  6. ^ a b c Grinberg, Emanuella. "Why there's no messing with Texas." CNN. July 1, 2011. 1 Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 3, 2011.
  7. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella. "Why there's no messing with Texas." CNN. July 1, 2011. 2 Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 3, 2011.
  8. ^ Batheja, Aman (23 September 2013). "TxDOT Hoping 'Don't Mess With Texas' Provides More Cash". San Marcos Mercury. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ https://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/about/history/
  10. ^ https://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/dmwt_press/dont-mess-with-texas-campaign-brings-home-the-gold/
  11. ^ https://www.gdc-co.com/gdc_work/txdot/
  12. ^ "Texas-themed billboards get Crimson Tide update". The Tuscaloosa News. 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  13. ^ "'Don't mess' with this Texas slogan". NBC News. 2004-06-06. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  14. ^ Curry, Matt. "Texas says don't mess with anti-litter slogan". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2004-06-12.
  15. ^ "'Don't mess with Melaka' campaign baseless". thesundaily. 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  16. ^ "4 Mets Charged In Fight". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  17. ^ "BART - Lone Texas Rangers fan makes good on his BART bet by serenading riders". Bart.gov. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  18. ^ ""Don't Mess With Texas" lives on after 30 years". San Antonio Express-News. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 2018-02-23.

Further reading

External links

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