In the 1980s and early 90s, the governments of several states got heavily invested in the anti-littering movement and started running anti-littering campaigns. Maybe the most famous of those was efforts was Texas’ “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign, a slogan that lives on to the present, though now its use has expanded and is applied to all manner of things that Texans don’t like.
Texas’s ads took the litter clean-up approach of threatening its citizens with Air Force jets and the reality of Big Brother with a Drawl watching at a distance… and for some reason this worked. People took pride in the slogan because they identified themselves not with the civilian litterers, but with the Texas government. Perhaps there is a lesson on government propaganda in that outcome.
Oklahoma – where I lived – decided that it could not let its border rival to the South out-green them. The Sooner State’s approach to the calamity of cigarette butts and empty coca cola bottles being tossed out of moving car windows, into roadside ditches, was to make an appeal to local pride. To that end, Oklahoma developed a catchy upbeat rock-pop jingle and played it REPEATEDLY.
The campaign was a hit, though it did not have the enduring slogan-success that Texas’ did. Here is what the locals thought about it at the time. (via the Oklahoman)
“Don’t Lay That Trash on Oklahoma!”
You’ve probably seen those television commercials, where everybody is chipping in and putting their trash in cans all across the Sooner State.
Well, it’s a pretty slick TV spot, isn’t it? Effective. High production values. Good-looking. Professional.
Hollywood, right? New York maybe. Chicago. Dallas?
Naw, this music video is Sooner born and Sooner bred.
This campaign that is sweeping Oklahoma clean is the product of Jordan Associates and Media Music Productions, both of Oklahoma City.
“Jordan is the advertising agency of the state Department of Transportation,” says Ric Duncum, with Media Music Productions, 3727 NW 63. “Jeb Reid of Jordan was the copywriter and lyricist for the song, and I was the arranger.”
“Don’t Lay That Trash on Oklahoma” is based on the 1950s rock ‘n’ roll classic, “At the Hop.”
“Jeb wrote the lyrics and then came to me, to make it sound good, to make the arrangements just right,” says Duncum.
“We had a great musical idea to begin with,” Reid says. “But Ric contributed the perfect combination of objectivity, enthusiasm and production savvy necessary for it to reach its potential.
“His arrangement was ideal. His choice of musicians, superb. And his contribution to the project, immeasurable.”
“We worked together about a week,” Duncum adds. “It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. You have to give credit to Jordan Associates for the production of the music video itself.
“Jordan was responsible for the concept, licensing the use of “At the Hop’ as a source for the musical spinoff, lyricing and all the video production.
“Using their concept and input, I was responsible for arranging the music, selecting the musicians and producing the music locally.
“National quality commercial music (jingles, audio-visual scoring and film scoring) has been and can be produced in Oklahoma City.
“Using the equipment in my creative/electronic lab, the finished video is synched with musical and effectual elements.
“Places in the visual that have dramatic/commercial impact are treated musically, making them “jump out’ with sound; all in the context of a dramatically prepared musical score.
“This has the effect of getting the … points across in a much stronger way.”
Duncum, 32, graduated from Putnam City High School and majored in music composition at the University of Oklahoma.
Musical background? You bet.
“I played in a lot of rock ‘n’ roll bands during my … formative years,” he recalls. “I’m from a musical family. My parents met at the symphony.
“To get into this business, I met with a lot of people associated with the music business and broadcast media people.”
Duncum generally handles “musical creative projects,” but he does some occassional arranging “on need,” he says. “I have worked in two different studios here in Oklahoma City, too.”
Recently, he did a film score for Hitachi, an industrial video for sales presentations; he did some post scoring for Oklahoma-based Fife Corp. on a sales demonstration; and he worked on an award-winning commercial music package for The Fitness Connection.
But the “Don’t Lay That Trash on Oklahoma” campaign has been his most visible work to date.
“I think we got the message across,” Duncum says. “I heard several people comment on it all favorably.
“And I think the kids especially love it.”
I guess it worked. I never litter. I almost never see anyone else do it, either. On many occasions, I have seen friends and neighbors chasing stray trash down the street after some of my state’s famously sweeping winds picks it up and carries it away.
Trash belongs in the can. In the can. In the can. In the can.