Online political spending rising rapidly

ClickZ_- Spending by political advertisers on Internet ads, marketing and promotional efforts is poised this election cycle to be 150 percent higher than the last presidential election cycle. However, although a new PQ Media report shows it could hit $73 million by next November, Web revenues from political advertisers are still a drop in the bucket.

The preliminary Political Media Buying 2008 forecast from PQ estimates $4.5 billion will be spent by political advertisers in '08 and leading up to this year's presidential primaries on all media measured, including broadcast and cable TV, direct mail, PR, newspaper and Internet. The estimated $73 million sliver expected to go towards the Web represents a measly 1.6 percent of the whole.

Growth is steady, though. In the 2004 presidential election cycle, political advertisers spent $29 million on the Web, and during the '06 congressional elections, they put $40 million online. While the numbers are relatively small compared to broadcast TV and direct mail, the anticipated 150 percent leap between the '04 and '08 presidential elections -- when typically far more money is spent compared to non-presidential election cycles -- is a clear sign that the Internet is gaining momentum when it comes to political spending.

Online media spending doesn't mean just display or search advertising. As reported by PQ in 2006, the majority of dollars spent by political advertisers on the Web will go towards e-mail marketing efforts, the method of choice for online fundraising pitches.

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