• Mediaweek, Tuesday, September 21, 2010 12:16 AM

According to Borrell & Associates, political spending on digital media should double this year vs. 2008, reaching $44.5 million. Despite that hefty growth rate, "that's really not much," said Kip Cassino, Borrell's vice president of research. Some estimates place digital spending at 1% of total political media dollars. The hesitancy may be because there is little research on the impact of digital ads on voters.

"Spending has just not developed this year," said Ted Utz, managing director of the local rep firm Petry Digital. Utz said his company works with around 10 top political ad agencies. Perhaps the biggest factor holding back digital spending is political consultants' love affair with TV, which, according to Cassino, gets two of every three dollars spent in this arena. TV has a long track record of getting people elected, particularly in local congressional races, where a candidate might be running "for the 10th or 11th term," said Cassino.

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