Here is more proof that Obama’s campaign is full of incredible talent. Because of the decision to present the VP nomination over their online mailing list first, something no one has ever done before, every major news outlet has spread that news attracting millions of new subscribers to Obama’s mailing list. I guarantee you that within weeks, they’ll be asking those who signed up to contribute and they’ll get millions of tiny contributions that add up to what has been the most well funded campaign of all time. Most candidates have to give up an arm and a leg on advertisement to get people to visit their website while Obama’s campaign haven’t spent a single cent on this tactic. The term for this strategy is called getting “free media,” in the past candidates have used controversial political ads to generate media buzz that would cause the news media to replay their ads for them for free. A well known example is the “daisy” ad by Lyndon Johnson. McCain’s recent successful free media attempt is the recent Celebrity ad which was published on YouTube and got played over and over again on prime-time news. However, those ads have the potential of backfiring on the candidate like it did in that case because the story focused mainly on condemning the unreasonable comparison. Still, it did the job of setting the agenda in the media and getting Obama off message. In Obama’s case, he takes it to a new level. His free media tactic has the likely effect of driving people to his website and registering for the mailing list which will have a lasting effect on the campaign in fundraising and outreach possibilities. If you ask me, and I am going to assume that by reading this far you probably want to know, its absolutely genius.