During this year’s presidential election, technology has supplemented the traditional forms of advertising, political rallies and grassroots efforts. Earlier this year, Obama made headlines for using a Short Message Service (SMS), otherwise known as mobile texting, to announce his vice president running mate.

In addition to text messaging, both candidates have relied on other forms of digital communication to inform voters by using social networking sites, blogs, widgets and emails.

Despite the wide range of mediums currently used, the candidates continue to seek new and innovative ways to advertise their name before Election Day.

The Obama campaign sought an opportunity to reach out to younger voters among the 18-35 year old demographic. The resulting solution was to incorporate election advertisements and messages into online video games, specifically games played on the Microsoft Xbox 360 Internet console.

Advertisements as well as the campaigns colors and logos appear on various billboards and background images in games such as NASCAR 09, NBA Live 08, Need For Speed and NFL Tour.

Obama is the first presidential candidate to advertise within a video game but it has been a common practice among product advertisers since the inception of the system.

With over ten million Xbox 360 units sold in the United States, the campaign hopes the subtle advertising will create awareness about the candidate and encourage younger citizens to vote for the Obama ticket.

Consequently, the advertisements have been placed in the games accessed by swing state voters such as Colorado, Florida and Iowa.

This most recent example of creatively communicating to voters during a presidential race establishes the significance of the Internet and continued evolution of integrating technology to create a multi-platform campaign to target diverse audiences.

Original Post Date – 10/24/2008

The inevitable end of summer brings not only the promise of cooler days but renewed attention to the presidential political campaigns as well.

Summer provided a break from the intense primary season and allowed the candidates to squeeze in additional campaigning as they prepared for the upcoming sprint to Election Day on Tuesday, November 4.

The kickoff to the final stretch of the presidential race has typically been recognized at each party’s national convention. During the conventions, the candidates are officially nominated while notable representatives seek to establish each party’s dominance.

This year’s conventions garnered increased interest, which resulted in over 120,000 people attending the combined events.

Such attendance expectations necessitated technology upgrades to the convention locations in Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Both cities enlisted the help of Qwest Communications, Microsoft, Cisco and other technology vendors to improve the existing infrastructure and provide technical support for the expected demand.

Instant access to news and updates throughout the conventions required more than twelve miles of fiber-optic cable in Minnesota and nearly five miles of cable in Colorado. The result was incredible data speeds of 50 billion bits per second.

In addition, thousands of voice and data lines were added to provide increased levels of digital connectivity during the events. Cell phone provides including AT&T and Verizon likewise took steps to increase wireless coverage to meet demand and ensure consistent service.

Technology upgrades supplied the essential infrastructure but the conventions also strived to engage attendees by providing blogging stations, web cameras and data centers to upload photos and videos.

The Democratic National Convention also created “America’s Town Hall” to encouraged citizens across the country to actively participate by submitting text and video questions through a live feed.

The improved technology during the national conventions provided the services and networks necessary to support thousands of attendees and viewers across the across. However, the technology will moreover serve a long-term purpose.

Excess materials, such as copper wire, will be recycled and electronic equipment including phones, copiers and computers will be donated to the cities and surrounding communities.

The recent conventions undoubtedly set the tone for the final weeks of the presidential campaign but the success in doing so may not have been possible without the additional help of technology.

Original Post Date – 09/05/2008