The Clinton Ad Campaign

Clinton's New Hampshire ad campaign opens and closes with 60-second ads of Clinton talking to the camera.  "Plan" presents Clinton as a man with a plan.  The ad includes the phone number so viewers can call to get a copy or get involved in the campaign.  In "Close" Clinton thanks voters and summarizes, "How can we put our house in order, and get good jobs and educate our people, and provide health care, and solve social problems, and pull our country together to compete and win again." 
 
Many of Clinton's New Hampshire ads contain references to "the forgotten middle class" as well as a "bold national economic strategy."  A good representative ad is "Hope," which combines elements of Clinton's biography and accomplishments as governor.  Education is stressed.  A line about "manufacturing jobs at ten times the national rate" became something of a mantra.  A couple of ads, "Ron-NH" and "Evelyn" highlighted problems faced by ordinary New Hampshirites.  Shortly before the primary, the campaign ran a half-hour program on WMUR with Clinton fielding questions from New Hampshire voters.  Another closing ad highlighted a couple of newspaper endorsements.

Images and themes from New Hampshire ads were recycled in ads used throughout the primaries.  In the post-New Hampshire ads one can see salvos from greater and lesser ad wars with Bob Kerrey and Paul Tsongas and later Jerry Brown.  For example, "Page" from March 3 critiques specific proposals in Tsongas' plan by page number and has the tag line "Paul Tsongas more of the same."  Ads from later in March and the beginning of April including "Triple Play," "Which," "Change," "Idea" and "Response" focus on Brown's flat tax plan. 

In "Time," an ad from late February, the "he'll put people first" tag line appears.  Several ads target more specific audiences, for example farmers in South Dakota and Hispanics in Texas.  As it had done in New Hampshire, the campaign ran a half-hour program in Pennsylvania in advance of the primary.  A final ad for California shows a more casual Clinton.

©1991, 1992 Clinton for President Committee.  Produced by Great American Media, Inc.
VIDEO
"The New Covenant"

NH SCRIPTS
"Plan" (Jan. 2, 1992) >
"Middle Class" (Jan. 14, 1992) >
"Ron-NH" (Jan. 22, 1992) >
"Evelyn" (Jan. 22, 1992) >
"Hope" (Jan. 30, 1992) >
"Progress" (Jan. 30, 1992) >
"College" (Feb. 10, 1992) >
"Take It Back" (Feb. 10, 1992) >
"Politics" (Feb. 10, 1992) >
"Vision" (Feb. 11, 1992) >
"Eleven Years" (Feb. 12, 1992) >
"Close" (Feb. 12, 1992) >
"Endorsements" (Feb. 13, 1992) >
POST-NH SCRIPTS
"Wrong" (SD, Feb. 22, 1992) >
"Tackle" (Feb. 24, 1992) >
"New Covenant" (Feb. 24, 1992)
"Time" (Feb. 25, 1992)  ...also "Power" and "Hike"
"Progreso" (TX, Mar. 3, 1992)
"Dream" (TX, Mar. 3, 1992)
"Page" (Mar. 3, 1992)
"People First" (Mar. 4, 1992)
"Triple Play" (Mar. 12, 1992) >  ...also "For Us"
"Commitment" (Mar. 12, 1992)
"Which" (Mar. 19, 1992)
"Change" (NY, Mar. 26, 1992)
"Fighting" (Mar. 26, 1992)
"First"
"Idea" (WI, Mar. 30, 1992) > 
"Serrano" (NY, Apr. 1, 1992) >
"Record" (Apr. 1, 1992)
"Response" (Apr. 2, 1992)
"Endorse-NY" (Apr. 6, 1992)
"Casualties" (PA, Apr. 20, 1992) >
"Family" (Apr. 21, 1992)
"Promo-Phil" and "Promo-Pitt" (PA, Apr. 21, 1992) >
"Record-Education" (May 16, 1992)
"People" (CA, May 20/22, 1992) >


DNC BROADCAST
"America Speaks" (half-hour national broadcast, June 12, 1992)


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