• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, October 9, 2008

6:33 p.m. (Oct. 8th) â€" Subject: Obama Beats McCain In Search Engine Debate

What do the presidential debates, the economic crisis, Jaimie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy, the new Lingerie Football League and Japan’s naked “moat swimmer” all have in common? According to online search analysis expert SendTech, they were all among the top search terms for Oct. 8th. Why is that significant? Because the rankings below show that the McCain campaign is monitoring search patterns during and after the debate, and bidding reactively.

That is just one of the many conclusions SendTech has drawn from a search engine marketing analysis it conducted around the presidential debates.

Other key findings?

“While McCain is cautiously geo-targeting his ads, taking aim at prospective voters in swing states by bidding on the issues, Obama is blanketing the nation with his ads, which are largely in defense of attacks on his character,” SendTech analysts say.

Here’s how the numbers break down.

A total of 150 keywords were searched in 14 states (equaling 2,100 total keyword possibilities).

Obama’s search team bid on a total of 268 bids (12.7% of the total).

McCain’s search team bid on a total of 208 bids (9.9%).

The top 10 Swing States (OH, NM, PA, FL, NV, MO, MI, NH, VA, NC) had 1,500 keyword possibilities.

Obama’s team bid on a total of 188 bids (12.5% of them).

McCain’s team bid on a total of 179 bids (11.9%).

Among four “secured states” (IL, NY, TX, IN; 2 for Obama, 2 for McCain) there were 600 keyword possibilities.

Obama’s team bid on a total of 73 bids (12.1% of them).

McCain’s team bid on a total of 28 bids (4.6%).

Attacks and Gaffes

SendTech’s analysts found searches for terms related to the various attacks and gaffes by the candidates that dominated the Internet.

Following the debate, one of the most searched terms in the country was “that one,” referring to

McCain’s mid-debate reference to Obama, which some saw as derogatory, and potentially racist. Ironically, the SendTech analysis finds that the Obama campaign “missed an opportunity by not bidding on that term.”

Immediately following the debate, moderator Tom Brokaw even made reference to the gaffe, noting that McCain’s “that one” phrase was already all over the Internet.

“This shows a clear understanding of the integrated use of offline and online channels and emphasizes the importance of candidates implementing streamlined campaigns,” SendTech concludes.

9:46 a.m. â€" Subject: Why The Economy Is Trumping Race

This week’s new Time magazine poll finds Barack Obama leads John McCain 50% to 44% among likely voters.

The poll also finds 38% said they know someone likely to vote for Obama because of his race, but that 44% said they know someone who is less likely to vote for Obama because of his race.

64% of whites says Obama isn’t white or blackâ€"he’s a little bit of both, while 71% of blacks feel that way.

55% say Obama’s election would help to heal America’s racial history and division.

10:01 a.m. â€" Subject: How America Decides

In a special section devoted to “How America Decides,” this week’s Time magazine plots out, graphically, how people really choose a candidate, how different groups have voted in the past, who swing voters really are and who supports each candidateâ€"and why.

Findings include: