By Darlisa Crawford
Washington File Staff Writer

During the 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign, the candidates will use a variety of sophisticated campaign tools ranging from television, radio and print advertising to polls, focus groups, Internet chat rooms and mass mailings, among others.

But despite these contemporary methods of reaching voters, the old-fashioned way of "meeting and greeting" still proves to be a successful strategy. For instance, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman's daughter, Rebecca, has held "house parties" in Arizona, where she answers questions from participants about her father's political views. Arizona is among the six states that will hold Democratic primaries on February 3. North Dakota will hold a caucus that day.

Other candidates besides Lieberman have also used a personal touch to pitch their platforms in Arizona. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's campaign workers have repeatedly phoned households throughout the state seeking support for the candidate.

But while personally connecting with voters almost always wins some converts, most candidates just don't have the time to meet and greet large numbers of voters, unless they attend rallies or other town-hall style meetings in cities and towns throughout a state.

Instead, they rely on radio and television ads in various markets, which present information in one-minute spots about the candidates and their views. Such ads often criticize the claims of their rivals, but sometimes such back-and-forth verbal assaults can actually hurt a candidate.

This was most evident after the recent Iowa caucuses, when former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and Congressman Richard Gephardt from neighboring Missouri finished a surprising third and fourth. Gephardt has since dropped out of the race. But prior to the caucuses, Dean and Gephardt often harshly criticized one another. "They all learned that lesson," Donna Brazile, a Democratic consultant who ran Al Gore's 2000 campaign told the Associated Press. "So they're all playing it safe and running soft-and-fuzzy messages."

Some candidates take image polishing a step further. For instance, former General Wesley Clark has issued mass mailings of 50,000 copies of "American Son," a 15-minute video about his life. The filmmaker, Linda Bloodworth Thompson, also created a similar video for former President Bill Clinton when he ran for president in 1992.

Senator John Kerry, viewed by some voters as a parochial New Englander, has tried hard to broaden his appeal. Kerry, who voted for the October 2002 congressional authorization allowing President Bush to go to war in Iraq, has now become critical of sending more troops there. To strengthen his position before the Iowa caucuses, Kerry, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appealed to veterans there with 26,000 videos detailing his military service.

Kerry's down-home approach seems to have benefited his campaign. Over the last month, he trailed Howard Dean by as much as 30 points in the polls. But Kerry's Iowa caucuses win on January 19 propelled him to first place among Democrats, and he won the New Hampshire Democratic primary January 27 with a 13-percentage-point victory over Dean.

Although traditional methods can be effective, "virtual" campaigns are beginning to wield significant influence also. In fact, the Internet has proven to be a potent organizing and fundraising tool, where cyber activists increasingly play an important role.

In his article, "The Marketing of a President," Edward Cone, a former writer for Forbes Magazine, says that "Online tools are a way to get people to act -- to meet in the physical world, to put up flyers and posters, write letters and checks, speak to other people face to face. And ultimately, to get out and vote. "

Such tools can lead to more and more contacts using relatively easy and cost-effective methods. For instance, an "e-precinct" is created when a campaign volunteer utilizes the names in his/her e-mail address book to generate more support for a candidate. "Television, radio, print and mail can create awareness and desire for a product," Cone says. "Senders control the presentation and, if intelligently worded and presented, the messages cause an individual or company to vote with its dollars, by buying the product. ... With the Internet, an effective campaign creates a community that will on its own begin to market your product for you. Properly done, you won't be able -- or want -- to control it."

In fact, the Internet has been the star in Howard Dean's campaign. He set a new online record by raising the most money of any Democratic presidential candidate in a single quarter -- $15.4 million in the final three months of 2003. And with a first and second place showing in the Iowa caucuses, both John Kerry and North Carolina Senator John Edwards became suddenly more attractive to Internet donors, garnering $300,000 and $250,000, respectively the day after the caucuses.

Since then, the large online bookstore Amazon.com has launched a Web site on which anyone can contribute between $5 and $200 to the presidential candidate of their choice. Contributors can also read about each candidate, and see how much money or the number of donations the candidates have received on their personal Web sites.

The relatively new use of web logs (known as "weblogs" or "blogs"), or diaries of a candidate's daily activities, has also contributed to advancing a candidate within the Web community. John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth started writing daily blogs in November, detailing their day-to-day activities. Former General Wesley Clark has also built a cyber community that organizes, operates and votes offline.

Regardless of what methods the 2004 presidential candidates use, however, it is clear that now, more than ever, they understand the importance of using the entire range of available tactics to reach as many voters as possible.