After 37-Year Career Including the Establishment of Utah’s Powerhouse Agency, Co-Founder Rich Love Retires from Love Communications
SALT LAKE CITY – December 20, 2017 – Following a long-tenured and successful career of creative writing and directing, Love Communications’ co-founder and creative director, Rich Love, announces his retirement, departing at the end of the month. As a partner with Tom Love, Preston Wood and Alan Reighard, Rich has provided agency leadership and advertising expertise for a lengthy and equally impressive list of notable brands, including RC Willey, United Way, Standard Optical and Arctic Circle among many others. Rich has been in the advertising industry for a total of 37 years with 18 of those leading Love Communications, growing it from three to more than 40 employees.
Rich began his career as a staff writer for The Enterprise Newspaper. Later, he worked in television, where he served as Assistant Promotion Director for local TV station, KTVX. After his stint with television, Rich was recruited to his father’s firm, Harris and Love Advertising, working under the tutelage of local advertising giant, Bob Love. In 1999, Rich, along with his brother, Tom, and third partner, Preston Wood, carved out a new path by founding Love Communications. With his sophisticated writing, coupled with his signature dry wit and humor, Rich spent the rest of his career as a creative director for Love Communications.
Rich’s strength and creativity in producing, directing and editing has placed him at the center of campaign development for nearly every major agency client. He has a knack for creating an emotional reaction in his projects, understanding how emotive writing breaks down boundaries and establishes a connection between writer and reader. His imprint is seen and felt on almost every major Love Communications campaign.
Rich has enjoyed the fortune and challenges that come from working with family, although he says he wouldn’t have it any other way. Although not easy to bring together different family personalities, Rich jokes, he got through with medication. In all seriousness, Rich added, “Tom and I have great respect for each other. Our partnership has worked well because we each have our own paths here, and we’re free to do within our own path what we want to do. Many successes have come from that.”
“Rich has been a much-needed creative inspiration behind many of the great campaigns here at Love; often those that include humor,” said Tom Love, president of Love Communications. “Rich’s easy-going personality and understated humor have come through in television, radio and billboards – always stirring emotions, and creating effective messaging for our clients.”
When asked about a highlight of his lengthy career, Rich quickly noted when his father spoke at the firm’s 2004 edition of March 4th Day, an annual event at Love Communications. Two weeks after he spoke, Bob Love passed away at the age of 80.
“One thing my father always strongly believed is that this is a young man’s business,” Love says. “I only really started to understand that philosophy in the last few years. But he was right. And it’s time to let the next generation of problem solvers do their thing.”
When asked about the biggest changes he’s seen throughout his career, Rich points to the effects of computerization throughout the industry and the effect it has had on the speed at which things are accomplished.
“The rate at which ideas become full-blown executed campaigns is now in real time” he stated. He believes the quality is still there, albeit as a craftsman in the field, he says good work still requires time for the best outcome.
If Rich has one philosophy he lives by both in his personal and professional life, it comes from a perspective that is unique and uncomplicated.
“If I’ve learned anything from my time in advertising, it’s that nothing really matters,” said Rich. “Whatever comes your way, whether it be good or bad, you’ll come out okay. I believe you can adjust to any situation and life will go on.”
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About Love Communications
Named a Wasatch Front Top Workplace by WorkplaceDynamics, Love Communications is one of the western region’s most prominent full-service advertising and marketing firms. Based in Salt Lake City, the agency currently employs more than 40 full-time marketing specialists across multiple disciplines. The firm represents clients in a wide range of industries and markets, including Salt Lake International Airport, BioFire Diagnostics, Google Fiber, Visit Salt Lake, Utah Office of Tourism, Zions Bank, City Creek Center, Standard Optical, Salt Lake City International Airport, Zion Forever Project, United Way Salt Lake, RC Willey, Creminelli Fine Meats, Arctic Circle and Thanksgiving Point. The award-winning communications agency provides excellence in advertising; branding strategy; public relations and social media; digital strategy and marketing; website development and design; and media buying and planning. For more information, visit www.lovecomm.net.