GSD&M
Encyclopedia
GSD&M is an advertising agency
located in Austin
, Texas
, United States
. It was founded in 1971 by graduates of University of Texas at Austin - Roy Spence
, Judy Trabulsi, Tim McClure and Steve Gurasich. Since 1998, GSD&M has been part of the Omnicom Group.
The main office of GSD&M is located on 6th Street in Austin, across the street from the Whole Foods Market
headquarters. Satellite office is located in Chicago, Illinois.
, Southwest Airlines
, the U.S. Air Force
, the American Red Cross
, the PGA TOUR, Lennox International
, AARP, American Legacy Foundation
, Kohler
, Texas A&M
,
Marshalls
, Popeyes , Norwegian Cruise Line
and John Deere
. They recently added L.L.Bean to their roster in the Spring of 2008.
Most recently, they won an RFP for the branding and advertising of HomeAway, a major player in the Vacation Rentals market.
anti-litter slogan for the Texas Department of Transportation
.
In the 1990s GSD&M began to acquire more national brands outside of Texas and was regarded as a "creative hot-shop."
The agency relinquished Chili's, Dreamworks, Frito-Lay, Fannie Mae and UnitedHealthcare in 2006-2007. The agency's Omnicom sibling, BBDO
, was given the lead on the AT&T account, although GSD&M still works on it.
On February 5, 2009, GSD&M founder Roy Spence published It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For. The book, co-authored with Haley Rushing, is a business book by Roy that suggests the key to high-performing organizations is that they have a purpose. Purpose, according to the book, is defined as “a definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world.”
GSD&M uses "Purpose-based branding" in its approach to their clients.
account. In October 2006, Wal-Mart moved its $580-million account to Draftfcb, but Draftfcb soon lost the account when, on 7 December 2006, Wal-Mart fired two marketing executives who had led the account review and initiated a second review, alleging that the executives had accepted gifts from the agencies under consideration.
Draftfcb was not permitted to participate in the second review. GSD&M was invited to take part, but declined. "We helped build Wal-Mart from $11 billion in sales to $312 billion," said one of the agency's founders, Roy Spence, "We declare victory, and we are moving on."
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
located in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded in 1971 by graduates of University of Texas at Austin - Roy Spence
Roy Spence
Roy Spence is the chairman, CEO, and co-founder of the advertising agency GSD&M Idea City and author of the books The Amazing Faith of Texas and It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven By Purpose.-Early life:Roy was born in Brownwood, Texas in 1948...
, Judy Trabulsi, Tim McClure and Steve Gurasich. Since 1998, GSD&M has been part of the Omnicom Group.
The main office of GSD&M is located on 6th Street in Austin, across the street from the Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
headquarters. Satellite office is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Clients
Notable current clients include: HallmarkHallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...
, Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, the PGA TOUR, Lennox International
Lennox International
Lennox International Inc. is an American company. Through its subsidiaries, it is a provider of climate control products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets around the world...
, AARP, American Legacy Foundation
American Legacy Foundation
The American Legacy Foundation is a 501 not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing teen smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. It was established in March 1998 as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement between a coalition of attorneys general in 46 states and five United States...
, Kohler
Kohler Company
'The Kohler Company is a manufacturing company in Kohler, Wisconsin best known for its plumbing products. Kohler also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators.-History:...
, Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
,
Marshalls
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
, Popeyes , Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
and John Deere
Deere & Company
Deere & Company, usually known by its brand name John Deere , is an American corporation based in Moline, Illinois, and the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. In 2010, it was listed as 107th in the Fortune 500 ranking...
. They recently added L.L.Bean to their roster in the Spring of 2008.
Most recently, they won an RFP for the branding and advertising of HomeAway, a major player in the Vacation Rentals market.
History
The agency started with local retail accounts and expanded to more regional work. In 1986, the agency created the Don't Mess with TexasDon't Mess with Texas
The phrase Don’t Mess with Texas is a trademark of the Texas Department of Transportation, which began as part of a statewide advertising campaign started in 1986...
anti-litter slogan for the Texas Department of Transportation
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
.
In the 1990s GSD&M began to acquire more national brands outside of Texas and was regarded as a "creative hot-shop."
The agency relinquished Chili's, Dreamworks, Frito-Lay, Fannie Mae and UnitedHealthcare in 2006-2007. The agency's Omnicom sibling, BBDO
BBDO
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency began in 1891 with George Batten's Batten Company, and later in 1928, through a merger of BDO and Batten Co. the agency became BBDO...
, was given the lead on the AT&T account, although GSD&M still works on it.
On February 5, 2009, GSD&M founder Roy Spence published It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For. The book, co-authored with Haley Rushing, is a business book by Roy that suggests the key to high-performing organizations is that they have a purpose. Purpose, according to the book, is defined as “a definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world.”
GSD&M uses "Purpose-based branding" in its approach to their clients.
Wal-Mart
From 1987 until 31 January 2007, GSD&M was one of two agencies that held the Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
account. In October 2006, Wal-Mart moved its $580-million account to Draftfcb, but Draftfcb soon lost the account when, on 7 December 2006, Wal-Mart fired two marketing executives who had led the account review and initiated a second review, alleging that the executives had accepted gifts from the agencies under consideration.
Draftfcb was not permitted to participate in the second review. GSD&M was invited to take part, but declined. "We helped build Wal-Mart from $11 billion in sales to $312 billion," said one of the agency's founders, Roy Spence, "We declare victory, and we are moving on."