Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign plays just like a Hollywood blockbuster. The name of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate will be announced directly via e-mail to anyone who has signed up - supporters and the curious - on his website, barackobama.com, or via text message on cell phones. Visitors to Barack Obama's official campaign website will hit a splash screen that states simply: 'Who will be Barack's VP? Be the first to know', and then asks for their e-mail address and (US) zip code. 'The Obama campaign has demonstrated a very shrewd usage of technology', 'showing innovation' and getting people 'excited', says Andrew Rasiej, co-founder of TechPresident, a New York-based group blog that covers the influence of the Internet and new media in the 2008 presidential campaign. During pre-release hype, films attract a following through so-called 'viral' campaigns, which include websites, games, teaser campaigns, cell phone ringtones, wallpapers and more - exactly what Obama's online team, run by a 27-year old and which includes a Facebook co-founder, does. 'But it's far more than that,' continued Rasiej, 'they're building a massive database of their supporters which allows them to contact them in the medium of their choice.' The viral-style VP candidate announcement also allows the Democrat's campaign to create a database of potential voters, and pepper them with pro-Obama messages during the run-up to November's elections.
http://www.ejc.net/media_news/obama_to_announce_vp_choice_via_text_message/
