Iconic Texas

Iconic Texas is an independent Texas company that promotes local and global brands whose success in Texas is mission-critical. GSD&M Advertising co-founder Tim McClure has joined forces with Rick Rabe, founder of the Iconic Collective, to launch Iconic Texas, marshaling their collective talents to promote iconic Texas brands.

McClure coined the phrase, “Don’t mess with Texas,” arguably the most successful antilitter campaign in history, voted “America’s Favorite Advertising Slogan” and inducted into the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame. He also wrote and produced “Texas: The Big Picture,” the first IMAX film about the Lone Star State. For the past three decades, McClure’s design teams have created the custom “Flagship Fleet” for Southwest Airlines.

The leadership team includes Lorraine Ketch, ex-TBWA Chiat Day chief Strategy Officer, who lead brand strategy for Apple, Virgin, Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and T-Mobile, and worked with Rabe on UCSF’s highly successful capital campaign. Steve Sweitzer, Emmy-nominated Executive Creative Director and Film Director, known for his work on Sony PlayStation, General Motors and Nissan, is perhaps best known for his Energizer Bunny creative work. Alison Blair, Director of Brand Services, is a veteran of the ad game and the brand wars, working with clients that include Southwest Airlines, Chili’s Restaurants, and Origenetics Regenerative Medicine. Scarlett Rabe, Director of Business Affairs, serves clients in Texas and across the Iconic Collective.

Texas and beyond...

Walmart

“Iconic Texas understands the intricacy of the global economy and the interdependency of the global community.” – Bill Fields, former President of Walmart USA and CEO of Fields Texas Ltd.

 

MobileLoaves&Fishes

We champion tiny homes that make a huge difference for the homeless in Austin. “Iconic Texas promotes philanthropy. They live here and give here.” – Alan Graham, founder of Mobile Loaves & Fishes and Community First! Village

 

University of Texas at Austin

Tim McClure, co-founder of GSD&M Advertising and creator of the “Don’t mess with Texas” antilitter campaign, says “Texas is a brand unto itself.” A perfect example is The University of Texas at Austin, an elite university that embraces its battle cry, “What Starts Here Changes the World.” McClure, a distinguished advertising UT graduate, directed the creative team that penned that spirited slogan. He sums up Iconic Texas nicely: “There is no better place than Austin to harness the power of iconic Texas brands.”

Texas Leaders

  • Tim McClure
    CEO, Iconic Texas
    • Tim McClure

    Tim McClure

    CEO, Iconic Texas

    Known For
    Co-founder of GSD&M Advertising & Founder of Mythos Legends Brand Consultancy
    Proud Of
    Don’t mess with Texas, America’s Favorite Advertising Slogan; Texas: The Big Picture; Southwest Airlines’ Flagship Fleet
    Prior Lives
    Co-founder of GSD&M Advertising, proud member of the global Omnicom Group. Founder of Mythos Legends Brand Consultancy. A lifelong passion for ideas.
    Origins
    Native Texan from Corsicana
    At Home
    Austin / Texas / Planet Earth
    Heroes
    Stephen Hawking / Herbert D. Kelleher / Eula Wilkerson Coulson
    Unfulfilled Goal
    Tim dreams of a world where the only race is human, the only color is rainbow, and the only creed is tolerance…a world that recognizes and embraces the need to save that planet for future generations.
    Favorite Quote
    “Don’t ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. Ask them what problems they want to solve.” ~James Casap, Google Global Education Evangelist
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  • Rick Rabe
    Founder & President
    • Rick Rabe

    Rick Rabe

    Founder & President

    Known For
    Founder of the Iconic Collective.
    Proud Of
    Ad Age Campaign of the Decade. The Harvard Campaign. Award-winning campaigns for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, American Express. HUD commercial inducted into the permanent collection of the NY Museum of Modern Art.
    Prior Lives
    Art Center. VP Ogilvy & Mather, NY. Creative Director & Managing Director of Omnicom's Merkley+Partners. DGA Commercial Director. Founder of Propeller. Founder of the Iconic Collective.
    Origins
    Hollywood, CA.
    At Home
    LA / NYC / SLC / Austin
    Heroes
    Carl Sagan, Greta Thunberg, Steve Jobs, Sir Elton John, Stewie Griffin
    Unfulfilled Goal
    Live to see a world that has: embraced regenerative agriculture, fixed our food system, and saved the climate.
    Favorite Quote
    To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time. – Leonard Bernstein
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  • Lorraine Ketch
    DIRECTOR OF BRAND STRATEGY
    • Lorraine Ketch

    Lorraine Ketch

    DIRECTOR OF BRAND STRATEGY

    Known For
    Her laugh. You can hear it a block away.
    Proud Of
    Helping create Challenger brand theory, Disruption theory, 6 tech start ups, serial social entrepreneurs, and as the President of IBM UK Said, "a welcome stripe of shocking pink in a very navy blue world".
    Prior Lives
    Chief Strategy Officer, managing partner Chiat Day/TBWA LA, NY, and San Francisco (but, not all at the same time).
    Origins
    The dark, satanic mills of England (up North).
    At Home
    LA at the beach.
    Heroes
    Pork belly bahn mi.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    Getting to bed before midnight.
    Favorite Quote
    The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker
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  • Skye Emerson
    DIGITAL & SOCIAL DIRECTOR
    • Skye Emerson

    Skye Emerson

    DIGITAL & SOCIAL DIRECTOR

    Known For
    Her passion for football, rescuing animals, and true-crime television.
    Proud Of
    She recently completed screenplay about her childhood hero, Sally Ride. Her MFA from The School of Theater, Film, and Television at UCLA. Her lack of road rage whilst driving in Los Angeles.
    Prior Lives
    University of Texas at Austin. Wrote and produced short form content for MTV2. Oversaw millennial marketing for PepsiCo North America. Founding creator of a mobile app designed for professional, college, and high school sports teams.
    Origins
    Austin, TX! The beautiful mountains of Utah.
    At Home
    50% sandy, sunny Venice, CA & 50% snowy, serene Salt Lake City, UT.
    Heroes
    Sally Ride, Alan Ball, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Fonda, Skye's amazing mother.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    Getting her script onto the big screen. Working at a Panda rescue.
    Favorite Quote
    We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. – Anais Nin
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  • Alison Blair
    Director of Brand Services
    • Alison Blair

    Alison Blair

    Director of Brand Services

    Known For
    Always getting the job done, without fail.
    Proud Of
    GSD&M’s historic re-pitch of Southwest Airlines. Design of Southwest Airlines’ Specialty Fleet. Launch of H2Orange to fund UT scholarships. Her husband and kids, and the fun life they have built together.
    Prior Lives
    Trail Rider, Strength Coach, Project Director at GSD&M, Marketing Manager for H2Orange.
    Origins
    One of the last few to be able to call Austin home since birth.
    At Home
    Literally... at home. Introvert at heart. Extrovert on call.
    Heroes
    Colleen Barrett and Herb Kelleher.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    She wants to jump out of a plane. Yes, with a parachute.
    Favorite Quote
    No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. – Robin Williams
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  • Scarlett Rabe
    Director Of Client Services
    • Scarlett Rabe

    Scarlett Rabe

    Director Of Client Services

    Known For
    Being really tall.
    Proud Of
    Her insane family, her insane work ethic, her insane story, her overall insane-ness. Also, she tends to keep it really (albeit sometimes too) real.
    Prior Lives
    Let's just leave that alone for now...
    Origins
    She was born on a piano bench.
    At Home
    In her quiet little shack on the sea, or on a giant stage.
    Heroes
    Christopher Hitchens, Claire Underwood, Lana Del Rey.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    A piano, a stage, a mic, some fancy clothes, and 20,000 fans singing her songs with her.
    Favorite Quote
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. – Eleanor Roosevelt
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  • Kathleen Lucente
    PR: Red Fan Communications
    • Kathleen Lucente

    Kathleen Lucente

    PR: Red Fan Communications

    Known For
    Being a CEO whisperer, brand builder, and crisis slayer.
    Proud Of
    Earning her stripes as a journalist first before moving into the world of PR.
    Prior Lives
    Built top tier teams in Boston, New York, and Hong Kong. Comms for LabMorgan resulting in over 15 IPOs and acquisitions, Represented world-renowned scientists for IBM Research.
    Origins
    Raised by a New Yorker father and a Bostonian mother on Long Island, NY. After years of flying to Austin from Boston and NYC the magnetic force was too powerful so it’s been her home for 15 years.
    At Home
    In high heels or hiking boots.
    Heroes
    Her grandmother, Lillian Hannon Bittman, one of the many trailblazing women in Kathleen's life. She was the first woman in the 1920s to get married and keep her job as the head of the telephone operators in Boston, MA.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    Going on an extended tour with the Grateful Dead.
    Favorite Quote
    After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels. – Bob Thaves
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  • Steve Sweitzer
    ECD & Film Director
    • Steve Sweitzer

    Steve Sweitzer

    ECD & Film Director

    Known For
    His passion for adventure travel and exploration. Steve has a suitcase heart.
    Proud Of
    His family, “Tribe Sweitzer”, for their enthusiastic support of his ambitious and sometimes crazy dreams.
    Prior Lives
    Steve has worked for some of the world’s most creative agencies: GSD&M, Chiat/Day, Hal Riney, Fallon, DDB.
    Origins
    Steve grew up on a farm and ranch in Audrain County, Missouri.
    At Home
    Austin, Audrain County, Barcelona, Annapurna
    Heroes
    Jane Goodall for her humanity and David Hockney for his insatiable curiosity.
    Unfulfilled Goal
    To explore Patagonia.
    Favorite Quote
    Enjoy life, it’s later than you think. –Carl Sigman
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Hub, Diversity, & Inclusion Partners

Texas Work

You Are What You Drink
Dulce Vida Tequila
You Are What You Drink
Anti-litter Campaign
Don't Mess With Texas
Anti-litter Campaign
REBRANDING
CHILI’S RESTAURANTS
REBRANDING
THIRSTY GOAT SALOON & BEERS
LAJITAS, TEXAS
THIRSTY GOAT SALOON & BEERS
FLAGSHIP FLEET
Southwest Airlines
FLAGSHIP FLEET
IMAX Movie
Texas The Big Picture
IMAX Movie
H2Orange BOTTLED WATER
UT At AUSTIN
H2Orange BOTTLED WATER
BBQ Brand Film
Kreuz Market
BBQ Brand Film