On Wednesday, both the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns
e-mailed the news media a new batch of television advertisements.

The Obama campaign had four new commercials and the Clinton campaign
had five. The York Daily Record asked two professors of communications
at York College, Lowell Briggs and Thomas Hall, to evaluate them.

Briggs and Hall are not approaching them from a partisan viewpoint,
but analyzing them for content, technique, presumed intent and
effectiveness.

The intent here is to provide a snapshot of two intense campaigns, and
how each is attempting to get through to Pennsylvania voters.

For Obama

"Quiet":

Briggs says: The "Quiet" spot raises an ethical question with a sloppy
edit, which to me inaccurately changed the context of the statement
and was likely not what he actually said to his audience. If you listen
carefully, after the word "part," the audio is clipped - indicating that
part of the billions of oil revenues is given to hostile nations. This
commercial should never have left the editing booth as we see it.

"Maya":

.

Briggs says: Of the four, the Maya spot is designed to appeal to
younger and older women. The women in his life reflect on his care for them
and his daughters, and deliver a powerful message that he'll safeguard
inclusive generations of young and old, alike.

"One Voice":

(OK, I couldn't find the Pennsylvania version on YouTuve to embed here. But I did find the Iowa version of the same ad, which I'm embedding. For you purists out there, here's a link to the Pennsylvania ad from Obama's Website:)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pa_one-voice_ad

Briggs says: "One Voice" resoundingly ignites the passion of the young
voter. Each shot shows an image full of young people, looking upward.
The music builds to a crescendo in time with the purposely repetitive
and highly persuasive phrase "can change the..." I'm reminded of the
dynamism of both John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. This one is
provocative and extraordinary.

"Mother":

Briggs says: The imagery here is compelling as the audience is
discomforted by his words about his Mom. I think this could have been so much
more powerful if it had again referenced his mother at the end versus
his call to change "Washington." The emotional momentum was lost at the
end.

For Clinton

"Get it Done":

Briggs says: Clearly this one is designed for the Philadelphia market,
and will have little relevance to voters in the rest of the
Commonwealth. Nutter's first words are "I know you want to know..." How can he
know what we want to know about Hillary? He also used the word "easy."
There is nothing "easy" about our nation right now. There is an
underlying sense of pompousness and arrogance here that I suggest will not sit
well with many.

"Spectacular":

Briggs says: I'm struck by the awkward positioning of words "mess" and
"Hillary." The governor says "It's going to take a fighter to get us
out of the mess this country's in. And that's what Hillary Clinton's
always been. (Pause) A fighter." Initially, I interpreted the word "mess"
to mean Hillary because of the location of the pause vs. the reference
to "fighter." When designing messages, wording is critical. The only
salvation for Clinton in this ad is the familiarity and trustworthiness
of Governor Rendell.

"Scranton":

Briggs says: The initial visual of toddler Clinton is cute. Her story
is sincere. But how many Pennsylvanians back then could afford to have
a cottage on a lake? This smacks of privilege. She also refers to the
fact that she still has faith in the American Dream, after which her
words are "it's just been neglected a little." When I first heard that, it
sounded as if it was a marginal admission of guilt that she had
neglected the dream a little.

"Falling Through":

Briggs says: The "Falling Through" spot is closer to the mark, but has
visual and audible flaws. At one point, children are seen smiling and
happy on and at the foot of the hospital bed of their mother. Yet, the
corresponding narrative talks about "missed diagnosis." That shot is
mismatched. Also, you will notice Hillary's audio is clearly cut from
multiple speeches and not consistently mixed. This suggests the context of
the sentence was altered. Better audio editing here would have sent a
more definitive message.

"Nuestra Amiga" ("Our Friend"):
(Note: Here's an English translation:
Our voice and our vote will elect the next President of the great country. Our candidate is Hillary Clinton because she respects our culture and understands the problems that affect our community. Millions of Hispanic families live with the fear of not having health insurance. The economic crisis and the cost of living are of concern to all of us. Hillary is our friend and will help us. Let's vote for Hillary on April 22nd and we will have a better life.
Little boy: "We are with you!")

Briggs says: I think this one works best of all of the Clinton spots.
This commercial is vibrant with culturally-specific, brassy, upbeat
music, and shows Clinton actively interacting with happy crowds, families,
mothers with children, the candidate kissing kids, and near the end
the little boy giving a wonderfully effective cheer. This is exciting,
motivating, and visually real.

Professor Thomas Hall's assessment of both batches of ads:

Sen. Hillary Clinton's ads show a decided change from earlier campaign
messages. Absent is a direct reference to "experience," which has not
resonated well with a significant part of those following the race.
Experience to them equates to being a political insider.

Clinton's campaign message now focuses on personal characteristics
that are admired by most people. Her ads speak of her determination to
fight hard for people who need help.

Sen. Barack Obama is able to cast himself as the outsider in the
political power structure of Washington.

He casts himself as one of "us" ready to take on "them" - big oil,
old-time politicians, lobbyists, etc. Obama is extremely skillful at
tapping into the audience's discontent. He is equally skilled at identifying
the issues that are important to many in this country.