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Hillary Clinton's announcement that she will enter the 2016 race for the White House came in a two-minute video released in a social media blitz, in which she told the US public she wanted to be their "champion".
The former first lady and secretary of state circulated a link to her YouTube video simultaneously on Facebook, Twitter and on her campaign website, just minutes after an email from her campaign chairman alerted donors of her candidacy.
And the digital response was swift: within 20 minutes, #Hillary2016 was trending worldwide on Twitter, and her announcement had been retweeted more than 30,000 times.
Her new Facebook page, launched simultaneously just after 3pm on Sunday, local time, piled up 500,000 likes in just 15 minutes.
The method of delivery recognised the importance of social media in communicating with the masses during the upcoming campaign, and attracted the obvious online responses from those praising and blasting her credentials.
Among those publicly to throw their support behind the 67-year-old's campaign was former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and US actress Lena Dunham.
Good luck
@HillaryClinton ! I know how strong your passion is for the United States. - NS — Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy)
April 12, 2015
This is Hillary reading a text from me that says "with you every step of the way, gurl"
#mypresident
https://t.co/IpeklQIXzl — Lena Dunham (@lenadunham)
April 12, 2015
But a lot of focus also centred on her campaign logo, featuring a red arrow pointing to the right, which appeared on her campaign page and Twitter account.
Was it a subliminal sign that Mrs Clinton's policies would be heading in that direction? Was it a knock-off of the WikiLeaks or FedEx logos?
is it a coincidence that the
#Hillary2016 logo features an arrow moving to the right?
pic.twitter.com/1ekfl6qh7e — Danny Hellman (@dannyhellman)
April 12, 2015
Hillary Clinton has stolen our innovative WikiLeaks twitter logo design. Compare:
@WikiLeaks vs
@HillaryClinton
pic.twitter.com/mifka4mXf4 — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
April 12, 2015
Hillary Clinton's logo reminds me of the FedEx arrow.
pic.twitter.com/ApOKzBJVQf — Zack Sigel (@zacksigel)
April 12, 2015
My first reaction to the Hillary logo is that it looks like it belongs on a 90s Nautica windbreaker
pic.twitter.com/mFo9CPYvyq — Nick Horowitz (@ztiworoh)
April 12, 2015
So what lucky 3rd grader won the Design the Hillary Clinton Campaign Logo contest?
pic.twitter.com/JlgthsKP8u — The Punditry (@massfubar)
April 12, 2015
Finally figured out what the Hillary logo reminds me of
pic.twitter.com/rFF47dUlWR — Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn)
April 12, 2015
Who will make me this quilt?
pic.twitter.com/UVQZbpL2bO — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw)
April 12, 2015
Mrs Clinton did not even appear in the video until the 1.35-minute mark, in stark contrast to her 2008 video in which she featured front and centre.
The New York Times said it was not surprising that Mrs Clinton chose to make her intentions public in a video circulated on social media.
"Since she left the State Department in early 2013, she has found a welcome outlet in Twitter, which has allowed her to express her opinions in terse missives while avoiding the news conferences that are likely to become a mainstay now that she is a presidential candidate," The New York Times said.
"She will also look for ways to demonstrate that, after more than three decades in public life, she understands the ways of modern campaigns and can appeal to younger voters. Mrs Clinton's 35-year-old campaign manager, Robby Mook, known for exploiting technology, data and analytics to win elections, has already dispatched field organisers to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina."
The campaign looks set to be entertaining, at the very least as it plays out online.
#Hillary2016 stickers you can order online, plus our own epic designs you can print NOW!
http://t.co/ofSyAvD6wf
pic.twitter.com/CvELEx2kLb — Bustle (@bustle)
April 12, 2015
This is too much for one day, honestly.
pic.twitter.com/gRwOEkJF61 — Abby Johnston (@ajohnston12)
April 12, 2015
