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As the federal election sweeps closer, the pressure to sell the politicians and their parties is intensifying - and the strategists are turning to digital technologies like never before to give candidates an edge. The huge growth in social media and data analytics over the past three years means this election campaign will be like no other in Australian history. But Australian strategists are still learning how to harness the new opportunities on offer, so they are looking to the lessons from Barack Obama's recent re-election in the United States.  The acclaimed campaign returned the Democrat president for a second term when the Republicans thought Mitt Romney was headed for the White House.The point of difference was that the Obama team harnessed social media, engaging a record-breaking number of Americans through mobile, email, video and web formats.