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The BJP has launched an online marketing blitz projecting L K Advani as its prime ministerial candidate. His website is being marketed vigorously in the cyber space. Also, the BJP''s online ad managers are projecting him in channels like Youtube, Facebook and Orkut.

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The cyber space is debating whether Advani is simply aping Obama's style of election campaigning, which saw a lot of online marketing happening, and also as to whether this will ultimately translate into votes.

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"Barack did the same. He spent around $3.5 million to attract the 128 million Americans. Advani ji has spent someu00e2u0080u00a6did someone say Rs.250 Crore? Oh, I guess that must be a little too confidential, leave it," says this blogger.

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The blogger feels that online marketing is the best way to reach out to a wider audience. "You use Facebook, Orkut, Linkedin or Social Blogs, a good marketing plan would land you everywhere! Internet Marketing helps grow your business spread popularity and turns your business into reality."

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So BJP's IT team has not just built the site but they are marketing it as well on Google Adsense, says Mallik.u00a0 "Congress too has its website, which is being kept updated except for the home page which is still congratulating Sonia Gandhi for 2004 elections win."

Rajiv Dingrau00a0feels Advani is simply following the do-what-the-west-is-doing trend.

The 81-year-old seasoned politician seems to be "aping Obama's strategy of leveraging online and social media for political campaigns."

This bloggeru00a0tells us that Advani, on the lines of Obama, is positioning himself as a 'change agent' - at a whopping Rs 250 crores advertising budget.

The Congress too is not to be left behind, says the blogger. "In a big-ticket campaign, the Congress will launch itself to woo the voters soon. It will play up Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi among others as agents of change and development," says the blog.u00a0

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It adds that the Congress-led government has already channelised Rs 200 crore from its coffers into a pre-election campaign titled 'Bharat Nirman' on the lines of BJP-NDA's 'India Shining' campaign launched five years ago.

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Online political campaign, marketing in the US Presidential elections made a huge difference to the political fortunes of candidates, says this blogger, adding thatu00a0Advani will follow the Obama's way and make it.

This bloggeru00a0says that Advani / the BJP are actually the first to cash in on a burgeoning media called the internet.

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The bloggeru00a0is in awe of Advani's website and the team behind it. "The team that has designed this and the content team that's handling regular updation and interactivity seems to be doing a pretty good job."

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'Don't compare with Obama'

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This bloggeru00a0is quoting historian Ramachandra Guha, who disagreed with any comparison between Advani and Obama this way:

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"That particular campaign style worked for Obama because he is a young, fresh-faced, charming man who promises change. But Advani has too much baggage, both good and bad, attached to him. It strains one's credulity to imagine the austere, unsmiling Advani being rebranded like Obama."

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Referring to Obama's success in online campaigning, Girish Kolariu00a0feels that it is not a "bad idea" to follow some success. He is only concerned as to whether "this idea" will work in India or not.

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