15686: The Richards Group Is Trying TRG TBD—And TTFN To Founder.

 

Advertising Age reported that The Richards Group is rebranding itself as TRG, mostly to semi-erase Founder Stan Richards. Um, this is the equivalent of Kentucky Fried Chicken downplaying its fried elements by calling itself KFC. Or the Ku Klux Klan going with KKK. Why not try something like Stan’s Original? To truly cut ties, the White advertising agency should have opted for Pearl Milling Agency or Dallas Advertising Agency.

 

Most outrageous are the remarks from an unnamed agency spokeswoman, including:

 

“We think of this less of a change and more of a transition. Our goal is to celebrate what has made us successful—creativity, collaboration, inclusivity and innovation. Shortening our name allows us to celebrate our past, our present and our fearless future. … Stan Richards hasn’t been a part of our agency since October of 2020—and as of last week, is no longer our landlord—but we did let him know about the evolution of our agency’s brand identity. He wants us to succeed and understands our desire to transition to a new look and a far more progressive outlook.”

 

Wow, it’s amazing to witness the ways that TRG executives continue to throw Stan Richards under the bus. The Peaceable Kingdom is becoming the Pissy Palace and Resentment Resort.

 

The Richards Group Is Changing Its Name To TRG, Distancing Itself From Founder Stan Richards

 

Shop has started rebranding on social media more than a year after racist remarks by Richards

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

The Stan Richards School of Advertising might be sticking with its name, but The Richards Group isn’t.

 

The Dallas agency is in the process of changing its name and logo to TRG, Ad Age has learned. The move will further distance The Richards Group, which has been known by that moniker since 1976, from its founder Stan Richards. Richards stepped down in 2020 following racist remarks he made during a client meeting.

 

A spokeswoman confirmed the name change, saying, “We think of this less of a change and more of a transition. Our goal is to celebrate what has made us successful—creativity, collaboration, inclusivity and innovation. Shortening our name allows us to celebrate our past, our present and our fearless future.”

 

‘No longer our landlord’

 

The change was announced internally and comes a week after it was reported that Stan Richards’ holding company, SBR Real Estate Holdings LP, sold the Dallas headquarters that was built to house the agency in 2013. The agency is still “undecided” as to whether it will remain at the Dallas Parkway address and is currently in talks with the building’s new owners, a spokeswoman said.

 

“Stan Richards hasn’t been a part of our agency since October of 2020—and as of last week, is no longer our landlord—but we did let him know about the evolution of our agency’s brand identity,” said the spokeswoman. “He wants us to succeed and understands our desire to transition to a new look and a far more progressive outlook.”

 

While The Richards Group name remains on the agency website, there are hints of the change already. The homepage and careers page includes a reference to TRG as well as the agency’s Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

 

When asked when the shift would be complete, the spokeswoman said, “There’s a huge amount of work left to be done when it comes to our new visual identity and no final timetable on when we officially adopt TRG. But it is official that we are different—we are a people-run, nonprofit-owned creativity collective.”

 

‘Lingering relationship to racism’

 

The news comes only a few months after The University of Texas announced that its advertising school will keep the name of its benefactor, Stan Richards, a decision that was met with some criticism.

 

“The folks running the show at Texas’s Moody College of Communication and the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations chose money over integrity,” an associate dean who formerly taught at UT’s advertising department said after the news. “It’s not surprising … funding is important and many programs would probably do the same. But the price becomes a lingering relationship to racism, to white privilege, and to business as usual in Texas. The industry needs a reset. If ever there was a time to stake a stand against racism, it’s now. And they chose not to.”

 

Richards’ remarks during an internal meeting that a Motel 6 ad campaign was “too Black” for the chain’s “white supremacist constituents” triggered an exit of clients including Motel 6, Home Depot, and Keurig Dr Pepper. Since then, the agency has been trying to rebuild, and this name change is only further proof of that.

 

Last year, the Dallas agency, which has 325 employees, won agency of record duties for fiber-optic provider MetroNet and named Richards vet Sue Batterton as its first chief creative officer. Currently, the agency also has 14 job openings posted on its site including one post for a new chief financial officer.