Politics and marketing are not often thought of as similar fields of study or profession.
Thomas Love got his degree in politics from the U and is now the president of Love Communications, a marketing firm that works on political campaigns. Love gave a lecture in LNCO on Tuesday about how his degree in political science helps him provide marketing for political campaigns.
“[The U] helped foster my love of politics,” Love said. “My classes with J.D. Williams were some of the greatest classes I’ve ever had.”
Cristi Wetterberg, development specialist from the Dean’s office of Social and Behavioral Science, organized the event so students could understand how marketing goes into a political campaign.
“We really wanted to just bring [Love] back to campus,” Wetterberg said. “So students could really get first-hand experience from someone in the marketing arena as well as political campaigns.”
Wetterberg said he thinks Love Communications has made a difference in elections.
“Hopefully students will be able to see that they can get involved in many other ways,” Wetterberg said. “Politics can be fun.”
Love focused his lecture on some of his recent campaigns, such as the Ben McAdams county mayor campaign and district attorney Sim Gill’s re-election campaign. Love described some of the methods his firm uses and how they try to make their campaigns stand out from all the others.
“You have to push the envelope to really break through and communicate,” Love said.
Love said standing out is Love Communications’ greatest difficulty. He also said the firm’s strategy has been to sway voters who stand in the middle ground.
Currently, the firm represents Doug Owens, who is campaigning for the 4th congressional district against Mia Love.
Thomas Love also identified phrases and slogans his team created that have been imitated by other politicians. For Sim Gill’s campaign, the firm used the slogan “Restoring the Public Trust.” Love said Gov. Herbert and other politicians have since used this phrase in campaigns and public appearances.
Mitch Tate, a senior in communication, said he found the lecture stimulating and thought-provoking.
“He had some good insights,” Tate said. “He was taking into account every little thing and every thought that people were possibly having about everything he was doing.”
Love said the goal of the lecture was to offer students an alternative view of where they could take their degree from the U after graduation.
“I hope they learn that if they get involved in politics, they’ve got a strategy or an angle that will make them better,” he said. “No idea is silly — all ideas can be big.”
Love said he encourages students to get involved in elections.
Brandi Johnson, a junior in strategic communication, said she learned more about marketing in politics, a subject she said she did not have much prior knowledge about.
“I don’t really know where I want to go with marketing, so [the lecture] definitely opened my eyes to different directions you can go,” Johnson said.
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