In 2012, campaigns target voters through their phones

hat would have caught her attention? Ads sent directly to her smartphone. "I would definitely have clicked on an ad texted to me," she said. "That's a perfect way to reach college students. We always have our cellphones in our backpacks or in our hands."

That's what digital political guru Vincent Harris was counting on when he sent the campus conservative-themed text ads for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich before the Alabama primary. He says his ads typically said things like "Stop Obama's War on Religion" or "Newt Gingrich: a Man of Faith." Some were as simple as "Bulldogs for Gingrich," with a clickable "Help the Campaign" button.