By Zaw Thet

Last week Senator Barack Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, announced that the Democratic presidential candidate would reveal his vice president selection via text message.

Throughout this historic campaign, the Obama camp has been praised for its ability to effectively leverage the multitude of new technologies.

Whether it's building mindshare on YouTube with the first "1984"-themed video of the campaign season or the millions of dollars raised through individual donations online through PayPal and other services, the Obama campaign has shown the power of media and technologies that have finally hit primetime.

So it only makes sense that the Obama campaign decided to make this highly anticipated announcement (see story) via SMS -- arguably the most powerful tool available to immediately and effectively engage mass audiences.

From the bottom up
Why didn't Sen. Obama elect to convene a press conference on TV, use mobile email or once again harness YouTube for this seminal announcement?

Perhaps only those inside the campaign know the answer.

But because I spend a majority of my time espousing the benefits of SMS marketing I can't help but delight in his choice.

As Mr. Plouffe stated to blog readers last week, "You have helped build this movement from the bottom up, and Barack wants you to be the first to know his choice."

The notion that SMS is a "bottom up" vehicle for communication across a broad spectrum underscores a belief that SMS, unlike any other mobile medium, has the power to quickly reach a vast and disparate audience and connect with them in a way that's personal and inviting.

Quick and reliable
No doubt a press conference offers benefits if your audience consists of stay-at-home moms, the elderly or unemployed -- read: people watching a lot of TV.

However, SMS outpaces TV, radio and most other mediums when it comes to speed and reliability.

Even email demands that the user commit to the ebb and flow of his or her inbox, compromising the immediacy of message delivery.

SMS alerts give mobile phone owners the opportunity to initiate a game of information one-upmanship, whether riding the bus or stumping for their favorite candidate.

There isn't a mobile phone sold today that doesn't support text messaging and you can bet that carriers delight in the revenue that this popular service generates.

It's personal
The most compelling reason for choosing to alert the masses via SMS is that it's a very personal medium for engaging with audiences.

I chose the word engage carefully -- it's more than "reaching" or "connecting." It's about creating a dialogue with someone in a medium where they are already comfortable.

Because millions of Sen. Obama's core constituency sit within the ardent SMS crowd (i.e., they are under 35), they are most likely already accustomed to exchanging text messages with trusted contacts and other sources ranging from friends to service providers and even favorite brands.

According to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 62 percent of all Americans are part of a wireless mobile population that participates in digital activities away from home or work.
As further illustrated in this study, text messaging is the most popular mobile phone activity.

SMS fans consider it a highly personal way of communicating because of its privacy. In other words, you have to "invite" that SMS onto your phone.

When users invite these messages onto their phones it's as good as saying "Connect with me, this is a two-way street."

Any good marketer knows that influencing a person in her own comfortable environment is much more powerful than trying to get a positive response when the person is not interested in the medium itself.

Medium is the message
Sen. Obama has shown over the course of this campaign that he has a singular talent for engaging and motivating his audience.

By using SMS to give his supporters first access to the campaign's most anticipated announcement, he is effectively endorsing the medium as the preferred way to quickly, personally and reliably reach a mass market with breaking news.

Regardless of individual politics, I look forward to receiving that text from the Obama camp when it comes. And should I be in a crowded room at the moment the message is sent, I won't be the only one responding to the ring, chime or vibration of an activated mobile phone.

Zaw Thet is CEO of 4Info Inc., a text messaging specialist in San Mateo, CA. Reach him at