Cross-posted at Montclair Socioblog.
Claude the brand consultant was consulting with me – i.e., he was picking up the cappuccino tab at Starbuck’s. He was about to start teaching a course called something like “Communications and Public Affairs,” and not being an academic (though he’s a really good teacher), he wanted some advice on the syllabus.
We finally got around to the idea that Messages about Issues had to be tailored for specific Audiences or Publics, particularly their Interests and Values. (Those capitalized words were possible major headings in the syllabus.)
I immediately thought of the example of Texas and litter. How could you convince Texans to be more respectful of public places and not toss all that crap out onto the roads they drove on? The Ladybird Johnson approach – “Highway Beautification”?
Wrong audience. The people who were littering obviously didn’t care about highway beauty.
The guy you were trying to reach was Bubba, the classic red stater – fiercely individualistic, anti-government, macho. A slob, and probably proud of it. You couldn’t appeal to self-interest since it’s in Bubba’s self-interest to chuck his garbage out the window. Even hefty fines (and they are hefty) would work only if you could catch litterers often enough – unlikely on the Texas highways.
The best way in was Values. But how? “Don’t be a Litterbug, Keep Your Community Clean” would be noo nice, too feminine or babyish, and, like “Pitch In” too collectivist. Instead, Roy Spence and Tim McClure at the Austin ad agency GSD&M had the Texas DOT go with chauvinism – Texas chauvinism. The idea they played on was not that littering was ugly or wrong or costly, but that it hurt Texas. And thus in 1985 was born one of the most famous and effective campaigns in the history of advertising.
With its double meaning of “mess,” it captured Bubba’s patriotism and pugnacity. The bumper stickers were soon everywhere. The TV ads featured famous proud Texans. One of the early ones (so early, I can’t find it on YouTube) featured Too-Tall Jones and Randy White, two of the toughest dudes on the Cowboys defense, picking up roadside trash.
JONES: You see the guy who threw this out the window, you tell him I got a message for him.
WHITE: (picks up a beer can): I got a message for him too.
OFF-CAMERA VOICE: What’s that?
WHITE: (Crushes the beer can with one fist). Well, I kinda need to see him to deliver it.
JONES: Don’t mess with Texas.
Litter in Texas has been reduced by 72%, the campaign is still going strong a quarter-century later, and McLure and Spence have a book about it. My source was Made to Stick by the Heath Brothers (no, jazzers, not thoseHeath brothers), Chip and Dan.
Comments 22
Abby — September 10, 2009
As a Texan living in Illinois, I hear the phrase "don't mess with Texas" aimed at me for my supposed toughness quite often. Many people don't understand the original meaning.
Livingston got the context of the phrase right on. Anti-littering is seen as a liberal concern, but with the patriotic wording, right-wingers took right to it.
Louche — September 10, 2009
Wow. I'm from Texas and had no idea it wasn't just chauvinism either. When I was in high school, I desperately wanted to leave Texas and thought this was pretty funny: http://www.tshirthell.com/funny-shirts-stock/dont-mess-with-texas/
Daniel — September 10, 2009
"The guy you were trying to reach was Bubba, the classic red stater – fiercely individualistic, anti-government, macho. A slob, and probably proud of it."
REALLY? You have got to be kidding me. The classic "red stater" as a macho slob? Talk about stereotyping.
Matt K — September 11, 2009
Aw, those heteronormative white males have it so rough, eh?
I think the original message is clear -- this isn't meant to be an attack on conservatives, whites, men, Texans, or what have you. It's an interesting story about the ways in which the ways in which a message is delivered can have an impact on its interpretation by a particular audience. I don't think anyone wants to deny that a particular brand of masculinity exists which shuns anything perceived as feminine or weak. Thus, phrasing an anti-littering message in any way that could be interpreted as such is bound to be less effective than one that appeals to the core values of that masculinity.
Of course, there is a point to be made about the ways in which a message like this can reinforce that existing toxic masculinity, but I suppose the concerns of those involved were highway littering, not the deconstruction or expansion of gender roles.
JT — September 12, 2009
In 1985, every state but Minnesota was a red state. :P
meerkat — September 12, 2009
Wow, I had no idea "Don't mess with Texas" had anything to do with litter.
Maxx44 — October 22, 2009
Friends who are smarter and savvier and more outgoing than I am. ,
Sad42 — October 23, 2009
The transportation fleet will go more and more electrical. ,
Guest Post: Dithering and Talking Points » Sociological Images — November 18, 2009
[...] fourth guest post on Sociological Images. He has previously allowed us to re-post his insights on littering, spousal homicide, and teddy bears. In this post, also published at his blog, MontClair [...]
In other blogs — November 25, 2009
[...] sell t-shirts that tourists could believe to be authentic expressions of Texas-ness. Not so much, according to the blog Sociological Images. Turns out the phrase was the slogan of an anti-litter campaign [...]
jojosephine laguerre — January 12, 2010
i awl
Botes de basura inteligentes para mantener limpio el Centro Histórico. « El Arte de la Mercadotecnia — November 22, 2010
[...] hábitos de las personas, donde para su creación se buscó entender la mentalidad de las personas (se creó un personaje ficticio llamado Bubba, al cual se asignó un perfil sobre el cual se edificaría la campaña). La idea fue el hacer que [...]