Love Communications Earns Two ‘Best in Show’ Awards At 2017 Pollies
–Recognized by AAPC for SUWA, VOTE.UTAH.GOV campaigns in national competition–
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah-based advertising agency Love Communications won two “Best in Show” trophies at the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) awards for ad campaigns created for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), which won a gold, and Utah’s Lt. Governor’s Office (promoting the website, VOTE.UTAH.GOV), which won a bronze.
In all, Love Communications won a total of seven awards at the event, including two for SUWA, an additional pair of gold awards for the Lt. Governor’s Office and two gold awards – known as “Pollies” – for work done on behalf of Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams’ reelection campaign.
The Love Communications’ campaigns were formally recognized at the AAPC 2017 Annual Pollie Awards and Conference, held late last week in Huntington Beach, Calif. This year, there were more than 2,200 entries, of which only 18 percent received a Pollie. Love’s trophies represented two of the three honorees in the exclusive “Best in Show” category.
“We’re exceedingly proud of our efforts for these clients, and recognition by the Pollies never gets old. ‘Best in Show’ is a great honor, obviously, especially as we did it twice,” said Tom Love, president of Love Communications. “One thing these particular clients of ours have in common is that they challenge us to do our best work – and then they give us the freedom, resources and latitude to actually do it.”
The Pollie Awards are bipartisan honors awarded annually by the AAPC to members of the political advertising and communications industry who have demonstrated superior work on behalf of their candidates and causes. A blind jury of peers (some 279 participated this year) selects AAPC award winners. Over the years, Esquire magazine has dubbed the Pollies as “…the Oscars of political advertising.”
Love’s gold-award “Best in Show” SUWA work, produced under a time crunch in early 2016, addressed concerns about the Utah Public Lands Initiative. The animated spots lampooned the situation with a parody version of the Woody Guthrie classic, “This Land Is Your Land.” A pre-roll spot in the campaign titled “Oil Wells” was also recognized with a silver Pollie in the Digital/Internet/Public Affairs Division.
“The Love team helped us tell a fairly complex story in a relatable, memorable manner,” said SUWA Executive Director Scott Groene. “They moved quickly to develop messaging that truly made an impact.”
In addition to its bronze award for “Best in Show,” Love Communications’ animated campaign for the Lt. Governor’s office was honored in a couple of more categories, including a gold Pollie for best TV campaign in the Overall Public Affairs Division and a gold Pollie for best statewide campaign in the Television Public Affairs Division.
“Love Communications developed a campaign with the perfect blend of humor and intelligence,” said Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who successfully challenged the Love firm to create provocative messaging for the 2016 Election Cycle. “Once again, the Love team delivered a message that made a real impact on such a historic election.”
For Mayor McAdams’ reelection campaign, the agency also used humor to maximize exposure and memorability. Its TV commercial – built around the song, “You’ve Got A Friend In Ben” – won a gold Pollie in the TV Candidate Division (Local/Municipal/Regional) and “The Ben Bus” (actually an old volunteer fire truck retrofitted with McAdams’ campaign colors, photos and headlines) won a gold in the Collateral category for Mass Transit/Bus Signs.
“Love’s creative energies have given my team a great amount of visibility and recognition in our community,” said McAdams, whose bus is a familiar presence at fundraisers, parades and local events. “They’ve done a tremendous job of branding my campaign efforts with distinction.”
Love Communications’ latest recognition by the Pollies is the fourth straight election in which the agency’s work has been honored by the AAPC. The agency has been recognized with a total of nearly 40 Pollies over the past six years. This is the first year the agency received a “Best in Show” recognition – and it turned out to be two.
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About Love Communications
Celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, Love Communications is a full-service advertising and marketing firm based in Salt Lake City. The agency, which reported capitalized billings of approximately $45 million last year, currently employs more than 40 full-time staffers across a number of disciplines. The firm operates under the direction of partners Tom Love, Rich Love, Preston Wood and Alan Reighard. See more online at www.lovecomm.net and @lovecommslc.
About AAPC
Founded in 1969, the AAPC is a multi-partisan organization of political and public affairs professionals dedicated to improving democracy. The AAPC has over 1,250 members hailing from all corners of the globe. It is the largest association of political and public affairs professionals in the world. For more information, see www.theaapc.org.