GSD&M Won't 'Mess With Texas'

The Texas Department of Transportation’s “Don’t mess with Texas” advertising campaign helped put GSD&M on the map and a fair amount of litter in trash cans over the years. The shop’s decision not to repitch should leave agencies in hot pursuit.
Doris Howdeshell, director of the department’s travel and information division, said an initial deadline for returning requests for proposals was extended to Feb. 20 after GSD&M declined to rebid. Howdeshell said she expects the incumbent agency’s absence to greatly increase the number of contenders pursuing the account.
In a letter to Howdeshell, GSD&M president Roy Spence said the shop concluded it was “time to pass the torch to another advertising agency.”