On his way to a dinner honoring Texas oilman, civic leader and philanthropist Jack Blanton at the Blanton Museum of Art on The University of Texas at Austin campus a few years ago, GSD&M co-founder Tim McClure glanced up at the imposing Tower rising majestically above the campus and thought to himself, Wouldn’t it be great if every UT student and Texas fan could hold that iconic tower in their own hands?
When someone offered McClure bottled water at dinner, it hit him like a bolt from the blue: Why not offer UT students and Texas fans purified Texas water in a replica of the University of Texas Tower? The rest is his story.
Bear in mind that McClure is the author of Don’t Mess With Texas, the most successful anti-litter campaign in history. In 2006, his famous battle cry was voted America’s Favorite Advertising Slogan.
“When I suggested to Jack (Blanton) that the water could fund academic scholarships for The University of Texas at Austin, his eyes twinkled,” McClure remembers.
McClure even had a name for it. Recalling from his high school science class that the elemental formula for water is H2O and musing that true Longhorns “bleed orange,” McClure jotted the name on a napkin: “H2Orange.” Beside that he scribbled a promising battle cry, “Drink water. Bleed orange.™ Fund scholarships.”
But would The University of Texas at Austin buy the idea? McClure, Blanton, and College of Fine Arts Dean Doug Dempster trekked across campus to the real Tower and into UT President Bill Powers’ office. Long story short, Powers bought the idea, the Board of Regents gave it their blessing, and H2Orange is slated to be on shelves at the beginning of UT’s 2010 academic year.
To get H2Orange from his mind to store shelves, McClure enlisted the expertise of Steve Gurasich, his trusted GSD&M partner of 39 years, to create a plan to build the business. Gurasich and McClure headed to Fredericksburg, Texas, home of Karl Koch, the founder of Oneta Bottling Company in Corpus Christi. Koch liked what he saw, and invited them to visit his Texas bottling plant. Next they contacted Berlin Packaging in San Antonio about creating a 100 percent recyclable, 1:400 scale replica of the Tower.
“The toughest challenge was convincing The University to license the image of its iconic tower,” says Gurasich. Once they explained that the sales of H2Orange could fund $1 million annually in academic scholarships, fellowships, and internships, UT’s decision became much easier. For the first time ever, The University of Texas at Austin decided to license its legendary Tower for a consumable product.
The next hurdle was insuring that the bottle, with its unique architecture, could actually be manufactured. Molding a Tower-shaped bottle that could withstand the pressures of filling, stacking, and transportation was challenging; and several modifications had to be made. McClure’s dream of every UT student and every Texas fan holding the University of Texas Tower in their hands was finally a reality.
With manufacturing and bottling underway, Gurasich and his sales team set about lining up distributors, grocery and convenience store chains, restaurants and bars, non-athletic venues and dorms across campus, even the University Co-op. McClure speculates that UT students and fans outside the major Texas metropolitan markets may soon be able to purchase H2Orange purified Texas water and merchandise online.
“We have an H2Orange website,” says Gurasich, “that allows UT students and fans to see just how much scholarship money their H2Orange purchases are generating.” There are also Facebook and Twitter links, and a burgeoning blog. “It’s a brand that can literally talk to its customers daily,” Gurasich explains.
Plans for H2Orange’s launch year include VIP events, partnerships with UT student organizations, and many Texas Exes functions. H2Orange has been named the “Official Water of Texas Exes Tailgate parties.”
H2Orange Investor/Ambassadors include former National Champion UT quarterback James Street, World Golf Hall of Famer and UT golf legend Ben Crenshaw, and larger-than-life Red McCombs, benefactor of the Red McCombs School of Business on the UT Austin campus.
The H2Orange iconic Tower bottle is 100 percent recyclable, and carbon credits have been purchased through Green Mountain Energy to offset any environmental impact from the manufacturing and transportation of the bottle.
The notion of funding academic scholarships comes at a critical time for The University of Texas at Austin, since the Texas Legislature has recently called for major fund reductions across the University of Texas System during these challenging economic times. Now ordinary Texans can make an extraordinary difference, simply by purchasing H2Orange and embracing a smart, worthwhile cause.
For more information about the impending launch of H2Orange purified Texas water, contact Brenda Thompson Communications, or email info@h2orange.com.
