Remember the historic role television played in the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon campaign? Well, it is the Internet that now brings a whole new up-close-and-personal dimension to presidential campaigning. The consumer can watch online videos of candidates, participate in discussion boards, and e-mail questions and comments.

Unfortunately, freedom of expression means that some candidates can be easily undermined by the very same interactive medium. In March 2007, for example, a knock-off of a classic Apple television commercial that depicted “big brother” on a giant screen was re-created starring Hillary Clinton. It is this kind of instant online sabotage that makes crafting and controlling modern-day political brands so difficult.

Nonetheless, the Internet is becoming the branding medium of choice for presidential hopefuls. Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy on her website. Barack Obama has launched a personalized version of his website, “MyBarackObama,” which supporters can use to create their own profiles, network with friends, write blogs, and plan events.

Obama has pursued a unified branding strategy that permeates his entire campaign. It is anchored by a modern, sophisticated logo: a bold “O” cleverly comprised of colors and elements of the American flag. It is as slick as any consumer brand packaging in the market. You will see it displayed on signage, at events, in advertising, and on Obama’s website.

Other candidates have not overlooked the importance of the graphic image. The Clinton campaign clearly made a conscious decision to stay away from “Clinton for President,” choosing “Hillary for President” instead. “Hillary” appears in large serif type, white on a blue background, with a wavy red, white and blue banner beneath it. (That banner is subtly reminiscent of husband Bill’s campaign graphic in his first run for the White House.) John Edwards goes for a clean look with a contemporary flair in his logotype. “JOHN” and “08” appear in red sans serif bold type, while “EDWARDS” is done in blue. A small blue star with a green tail finishes it off.

Barry Silverstein has been a frequent brandchannel contributor since 2007. He has thirty years of advertising and marketing experience and is currently a freelance writer and marketing consultant. He founded and ran his own direct marketing agency and held executive positions with Epsilon, a leading database marketing firm and Arnold, a major ad agency. Silverstein is the author of three marketing books, including the McGraw-Hill book, The Breakaway Brand, which he co-authored with Arnold CEO Fran Kelly.