NEW YORK This may be the Internet age, but when it comes to political advertising, the traditional media are still candidates' preferred channels.Online political advertising will total only $20 million in 2008, according to a forecast from Borrell Associates scheduled for release today. Online political advertising lags online's 9 percent overall ad share, representing less than 0.5 percent of 1 percent of all political advertising, a tiny sliver by any measure.
More than 80 percent of all political dollars, nearly $4 billion, will be spent locally, with 60 percent or $2.9 billion going to broadcast TV. Newspapers are forecast to capture 17 percent of ad dollars, followed by radio at 10 percent and cable TV at 5 percent.
When candidates do spend dollars online, they are likely to focus on search advertising. According to Borell, half of the $20 million forecast will go to Google, Yahoo! and affiliated sites. Streaming video, now more accessible to voters, is expected to gain ground and capture about $4.7 million. The remaining dollars will be allocated to banners and e-mail ads.
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