Candidates plug into Net's power as never before

[CShine]

In an Internet game called Kerryopoly, a player starts with $40,000, clicks to roll the dice, most probably lands on an expensive possession owned by John F. Kerry -- a $5,000 bicycle, a $700,000 boat -- and plunges into debt. (Landing on Kerry's Nantucket home triggers the theme song to "Gilligan's Island.") The game can be found on the Republican National Committee website. Or, one can spend a moment with an animated online ad from Kerry's campaign that depicts President Bush wearing a crown and teetering precariously atop a pile of gold bars. After being told that "Bush is attacking John Kerry with a mountain of money," but "your $25 gift now can put us over the top and help topple Bush," the Web surfer sees the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee push Bush from his perch and is invited to click on the "give now" icon.

The 2004 campaign is the most Internet-enabled yet. A recent Pew Research Center survey indicated that 20 percent of Americans surveyed have gone online for 2004 election news, and thousands of potential voters are donating money and signing up as volunteers via the Web. Given the wide array of tools in the cyberspace battleground -- including Web ads, Web videos, Web games, and e-mail -- both sides are trying to exploit the interactive, instantaneous nature of the medium, but in different ways. Kerry's forces have been concentrating on fund-raising, while the Bush team is trying to deliver potent political messages.

"Both campaigns' interactive strategies are a significant advancement on what we've seen in past cycles . . . and reflect their overall objectives," said Jonah Sieger, a founding partner of the Connections Media consulting firm and an informal adviser to Kerry's campaign. "The Kerry interactive ad strategy is . . . focused on direct response: click to contribute. Bush has taken a very different approach . . . a messaging approach."

Howard Dean's stunningly successful use of the Internet to fuel his insurgent presidential bid last year was an object lesson on the medium's political benefits. Although no one is predicting that the battle for the White House will hinge on who has the more easily navigable website or the higher "click through" rate on ads, both parties acknowledge the Internet's role as a significant campaign weapon.

"It's delivering a serious political message in an interactive and fun way," said Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the RNC, which features games and videos on its site and bought Internets ads during the first quarter of 2004.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/money/articles/2004/06/12/candidates_plug_into_nets_power_as_never_before/