Newsletter Archives
Vol. 9 No. 9 • January 2006
Don't Mess with Texas Turns 20
Celebrity-Packed Campaign Hits the Airwaves
Nearly all Texans have heard of "Don't Mess with Texas," and in 2006, they'll also learn that "Real Texans Don't Litter," which is the mantra for the campaign's yearlong 20th anniversary celebration. To kick-start this high profile awareness campaign, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), EnviroMedia and Dallas-based Rock House Productions produced TV PSAs featuring more than 10 Lone Star celebs. Lance Armstrong, Erykah Badu, Ray Benson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Julius Jones, Los Lonely Boys, Matthew McConaughey, Chuck Norris, Owen Wilson and Lee Ann Womack make it clear they "wouldn't do it."
Click here to watch the spots on the Don't Mess with Texas 20th Anniversary Web site. The campaign also includes TV, radio and billboards.
The spots premiered Jan. 2 during the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, a nod to the campaign's 1986 debut during the same game when the now-classic Stevie Ray Vaughan PSA introduced Don't Mess with Texas.
Stay tuned for more celebrations throughout 2006. Centered around a statewide 25-stop cleanup tour and scavenger hunts, the big prizes include round-trip airline tickets donated by corporate partner Southwest Airlines.
Roadside Litter Down by a Third
Seven years and more than 20 industry awards later, we've made signficant strides in reducing the litter problem. Roadside litter is down by a third. With 96 percent of Texans recognizing the "Don't Mess with Texas" tagline, the campaign ranks among the most notable public education efforts of all time.
Our Winning Crew
It takes a big team to pull off a major statewide celebration of the Don't Mess with Texas campaign. Big thanks to our long-time clients at TxDOT for their trust and hard work, Doris Howdeshell, Travel Division Director, and Brenda Flores-Dollar, Campaign Manager.
EnviroMedians from across the agency also pitched in for the last several months:
- Valerie Davis, Principal/Account Director (campaign development, production oversight)
- Kevin Tuerff, Principal/Account Director (partnership recruitment and production)
- Ted Burton, Managing Director (media relations)
- Morgan Delk, Account Supervisor (campaign development and coordination, partners)
- Laura Grove, Account Manager (overall campaign coordination)
- Sara Beechner, Executive Producer (broadcast concepts)
- Ed Parsons, Producer (TV, radio producer)
- Liam Kernell, Director of Creative Services (creative concepts, Web, print production)
- Henry Medrano, Senior Art Director (creative concepts, graphic design, TV production)
- Khoa Le, Art Director (creative concepts, graphic design)
- Sean-Paul Westfall, Production Artist (print production)
- Justin Roberts, Production Assistant (video archiving and duplication)
- Angela Cotton, Creative Services Coordinator (print and web coordination)
- Rebekah Sauceda, Print Production Manager (print, merchandise production)
- Jamie Baker, Senior Media Buyer/Planner (media buy)
- Kelli Johnson, Media Relations Executive (media relations)
- Katie Barton, Account Assistant (project management)
- Adrienne Dawson, Account Coordinator (project management)
- Scott Luther, Experiential Marketing Coordinator (Cotton Bowl event)
Our great associates and vendors also were key to our success:
- Mia Zmud, NuStats, (Visible Litter Study)
- Mike Bacelice, Bacelice & Associates (Market Research)
- Rocky Powell, Rock House Productions, Dallas (TV spot director)
- Tobin Holden (TV spot editor)
- Rhodes Gibson, Go9 Media (Web site programmers)