Video PSAs and Commercial Spots

2010 Circle of Excellence Awards Program
Judges Report

General Comments: Video PSAs and Commercial Spots tend to be a feast-or-famine category. Some years the judges labor over which of the many outstanding entries are most deserving. Other years - like this one - only a handful rise to the top, and are reflected in the five winners below.

What was wrong with the other 28 entries? Most commonly, they may have been well-produced but simply didn't rise to the level of an award winner because they lacked the creative spark to stand out in the clutter of competing spots.

More than any other communication element in a college's outreach efforts, these brief productions go up against the best efforts of commercial ventures - whether as half-time spots or commercials in rotation on local stations. A low-key, soft-sell approach that might work fine in an alumni or fundraising video is likely to get lost in this broader, hurly-burly marketplace.

This doesn't mean that college PSAs and commercials have to be brash and bold, but they do have to contain a "hook" to engage the viewer. The hook can be humor, dynamite graphics, compelling visuals, or a powerful script - but it does need to be there.

Some spots try to do too much, carrying too many separate messages, as if produced by committee. Other spots try to do too little, giving a generic overview of an institution in visuals and narrative that - if you miss the name - could be any institution.

College PSAs and commercials are the equivalent of an institution's "elevator speech." Here's a list of this year's award winners, and a sense of what each one accomplished before the doors opened on the first floor.

Gold Awards
McGill University, What Matters in Life?
As part of its fundraising campaign, The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - "The Neuro" produced a series of TV spots to educate the public about both neuroscience and The Neuro. Beautifully minimalist, each spot consist of black and white visuals, a quiet piano soundtrack, and superimposed words - "aching," "committing," "achieving," "loving," for example. As the entry describes it, "The verbs and images were chosen to have universal appeal and impact, and at the same time, link to the research and clinical activities of The Neuro." The result is a strongly emotional and memorable series of messages.

Minnesota State University, Mankato - Big Ideas. Real-world Thinking
Using the theme, "Big Ideas. Real-world Thinking," this series of studio-produced spots profiles three Mankato alumni who have made a difference through a big idea applied to their work, and the impact of that big idea on society. Visuals are simple and powerful, the narration is strong and sparse, and the whole series reinforces the message that this is a place where things happen . . . and a place that launches those people who make things happen.

Waubonsee Community College (Ill.) - Where Futures Take Shape TV Spots
Three well-acted and well-produced vignettes feature a new high-school grad thinking about college, a young mother wanting to complete her degree, and mid-career professional passed over for a promotion. With the tag line of "Find out what happens next," each spot drives the viewer to a mini-site for more information on the college's programs. Numbers show that the campaign clearly contributed to an increase in Web traffic and Fall 2009 enrollment.

Bronze Awards
University of Texas at Arlington - Unbranded
High-energy animation encourages the viewer to "push your limits . . . where there aren't any, where imagination is unrestrained," then the spot closes with the line, "Where life is unbranded." (That may make this the first college campus to brand itself as unbranded.) Not a single student or campus scene appears in the spot, but you come away with an upbeat, positive, and distinctive image of UT Arlington. Any spot that can accomplish that is a winner.

Washington State University - Go Cougs Spots
It's a common enough concept - highlighting the diverse research initiatives of a major university - but these four Washington State half-time spots are especially inventive. Each features a low-key conversation about the implications of research into biofuels, animal health, antimatter, and drought-tolerant crops. The answer to "Where are they doing that?" is, of course, Washington State University. Then the questioner's response is a likewise low-key, but delightfully incongruous "Go Cougs!"