• by Kate Kaye , October 1, 2004

The Web is viewed as a cash cow for political fundraisers. But can online political ads be used for more than just fundraising? A recent Web study conducted by ad network Burst! Media and developed in conjunction with MediaDailyNews found that of the 36.6 percent of likely voters surveyed who have clicked on a political ad, 67.2 percent went on to read about a candidate or advocacy group's issue platform.

Still, less than half, or 45.4 percent of the 2,041 likely voters surveyed have visited the Web site of a candidate for office - local, statewide, or presidential -- in this year's election. And just under 40 percent of likely voters surveyed have visited an issue advocacy group's site during the current election season.

The site visitation numbers should be a clarion call to campaigns, said Brian Reich, director of Boston Operations at public affairs communications firm Mindshare Interactive Campaigns LLC. He believes they indicate a need for more online advertising, marketing, and outreach by campaigns.

"Campaigns are doing this huge disservice by limiting their online presence to just this passive force," he contended. "They're trying to force their way into television [through TV ads]; why aren't they trying to force their way onto [voters'] computer screens?"

Some respondents have good intentions, though. Of the 16.3 percent of respondents who visited a candidate's site in the past but not yet this election season, 71.1 percent plan on doing so before election day in November.

"What the candidates need to be doing is driving those people who have already gone to [a political candidate's Web site] to their sites," suggested Chuck Moran, market research manager at Burst!. "It's going to be a tougher sell with the 38.3 percent of likely voters surveyed who have never visited a candidate's Web site," he added.

In addition to the 67.2 percent of likely voters who read more about a candidate after clicking an ad, 42.6 percent registered to receive e-mail notices, 39.9 percent viewed a video ad, 33.7 percent made a donation online, and 19.4 percent signed up to volunteer for a campaign.

Those who clicked an ad placed by an advocacy group followed suit. Over 63 percent went on to read additional information, 40 percent subscribed to e-mail alerts, 29.6 percent became members, 21.2 percent made a Web donation, and 14.4 percent registered to volunteer. Some issue group site visitors who are likely to vote also sent an automated message to an elected official (39.5 percent) and signed an online petition (38.8 percent).

Having a Web presence can draw detractors, however. The study shows 52.2 percent of likely voters who have visited a candidate's or advocacy group's site have visited one they did not support or were not sure they would support.

When visiting such sites, more than 69 percent of those respondents learned more about issue positions and 51.1 percent learned more about strategy, plans, and tactics. Over 25 percent of those survey participants sent comments to the group or candidate.

In order to gain insight into opposing views or help understand which messages strike a chord, Mindshare's Reich recommended that, "smart campaigns...read all the comments, even the negative ones -- very few campaigns do that."

Web ads may enable action more readily, but can they influence opinion of candidates or issues? When asked which medium is most influential, 23.7 percent chose television, by far the most effective according to the study findings. Most of the other media options came in around 5 percent, noted Burst!'s Moran, who added, "Most people consider themselves independent thinkers" who reject the notion that advertising can influence their decisions.

During Thursday's presidential debate, John Kerry sneaked in a plug for his campaign Web site, but traditional media advertising may not be a huge driver to political sites. According to the Burst! study, 33.5 percent of likely voters were inspired to visit a candidate's or issue advocacy organization's site by a radio ad, television ad, print ad, or direct mail piece.

Mindshare's Reich sees this as a plus for Web advertising. "You can't click on a newspaper, or take action immediately after you hear a radio ad. Worse, you can't measure how many people have responded through those mediums," argued Reich. "Campaigns and political organizations have tremendous flexibility online that just doesn't exist with the other mediums."