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Candidate e-mail messages play an increasing role in online, candidate-controlled media. E-mail messages allow candidates to directly contact voters, serving as political marketing tools. This study content analyzed the universe of campaign e-mail messages (N = 78) from the Bush and Kerry campaigns during the general cycle of the 2004 presidential election. Results indicate that as key election events drew near, candidates increased the number of e-mail messages they sent. Direct address (using you) in the e-mail messages occurred at a statistically significant higher level than expected. Candidates used e-mail messages for promotion more often than opponent attacks. The study also investigated issue coverage, message strategy, and interactivity. The findings indicate that e-mail messages are potent instruments because they can be forwarded to myriad nonsubscribers. As such, candidate e-mail messages can be considered a form of viral marketing that offers a unique way to overcome the problem of selective exposure.
Keywords: e-mail; candidate-controlled media; election; Internet; computer-mediated communication
The 2004 presidential election is widely considered to be the first major Internet election in the United States. This campaign was a time when the Web became a dominant medium for both the candidates who sought to communicate directly with citizens and for the public who used the Internet as a primary source of information.
The proportion of citizens who cite the Internet as one of their main sources for campaign news rose from 3% in 1996, to 11% in 2000, and to 21% in 2004. The number of individuals who say they received any election news during the 2004 campaign election this year rose from 10% in 1996, to 30% in 2000, to 41% in 2004 (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2004).
Campaign Communication Tools
The tools candidates have available to them during a campaign have drastically increased in the past decade. Candidates have been able to go beyond direct mail pieces and provide in-depth, limitless information through modern electronic media, such as the Web. According to Kaid (2002), the Internet offers advantages for disseminating political messages in that it provides more avenues for information and opportunities for interactive communication between the candidate and the voter. Such computer-mediated communication can be used as a mobilization tool for existing supporters and as a persuasive tool...