Vote of Confidence

"A voter who doesn't recognize those names could just as easily not open the e-mails or just delete them," he says. "They need to stick with recognized, trusted brand names."

Staying connected

Obama and Romney are also using "gamification" to mine for receptive supporters. For example, the Obama campaign inserts messages within the game Foursquare, in which participants log on with their personal information, including their Facebook account names and passwords, to play a game to be mayor of a particular community. Obama can then contact the players to solicit donations or support to help get out the vote.