Love Communications Honored At 2008 Obie Awards For Colosimo’s Sausage Billboards

A billboard designed by Salt Lake City-based ad agency Love Communications for its Colosimo’s Sausage client was one of three finalists in the “Food and Restaurant” category at the 2008 Obie Awards, a national competition sponsored by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc. (OAAA).

The 66th annual Obies (so called because the first known form of outdoor advertising was the Egyptian Obelisk) were awarded at the 2008 Traffic Audit Bureau Conference and Marketing Expo in Boca Raton, Fla., last month.

Submitted by Reagan Outdoor Advertising, Love Communications’ entry on behalf of Colosimo’s was one of 2,200 entries in the year’s Obies, of which only about two percent made it into the finals. The Utah-based Colosimo’s Sausage was one of three finalists in its category, competing against one billboard featuring McDonald’s and another promoting Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn. The national McDonald’s billboard designed by Leo Burnett USA ultimately finished first in the category, and also won a “Best of Show” designation.

The Colosimo’s billboard that was recognized ­ featuring the headline, “My Wife Can’t Get Enough” ­ was part of a concerted media campaign developed by Love Communications that ran on Reagan Outdoor boards throughout the Wasatch Front in 2006 and 2007. The Colosimo’s campaign has been recognized by a variety of industry and trade competitions over the past couple of years.

“The Colosimo’s campaign has been a great experience for our agency,” said Preston Wood, Love Communications partner and creative director. “We’ve had a lot of fun branding a product with irreverence and wit. It’s been gratifying to see the campaign do well not only creatively ­ but also in terms of sales and recognition.”

Wood and Love Communications partner/creative director Rich Love oversaw development of the campaign, while the agency’s Bret Ivory was the campaign art director.

Founded in 1999, Love Communications offers a full range of account management, media planning, public relations and governmental relations, marketing, creative, interactive and production services. The agency, which reported capitalized billings of $28 million in 2007, operates under the direction of partners Tom Love, Rich Love, Preston Wood and Alan Reighard.