Coming Soon to a Computer Near You: Gigabytes of Politicking

Online advertising also offers unique opportunities. In an age of fragmented television audiences and increasing use of commercial zappers such as TiVo, online advertising reaches a user who is on-task at his or her computer screen. Many sites gather enough demographic information about their viewers for ads to be precisely targeted by ZIP Code, age and gender. There is no waste in parts of the market that are not the target.

Internet ad types have changed dramatically. Innovations such as "big boxes" and "skyscrapers" now are common because they are highly effective. One breakthrough for online advertising was the recognition that the value of online ads was not simply, or even primarily, the number of people who "clicked through" the ad. Instead, as with other media, the primary value of the ad is persuasion -- its ability to deliver a message to viewers whether they click on the ad or not.

I predict that in the coming election season, viewers will be regularly seeing political ads on the Internet. When you go to any high-quality news and information site, chances are you will see a large, colorful political ad integrated into the page you're viewing or perhaps even a video ad that is the same high quality as a TV ad. And the ad probably will be far more targeted at your personal interests than a typical TV or radio ad -- aimed at your community, or at young parents, or at working women.

Imagine the benefit of this for the Bush campaign or the Democratic nominee. Concerned about 10 key states? Target a flood of online ads on the ZIP Codes and demographic groups that may tip the balance there. Facing a gender gap? Target online ads directly on the gender you're trying to reach.

Online ads will be especially appealing to the political community because they can be put up quickly and changed on the fly, even allowing a response in real time to breaking news or an opposing candidate's charges.

Notably, studies have shown that Internet users overwhelmingly vote, contribute and get involved in campaigns.

Despite all these advantages, there is some resistance in the political community to online advertising. Consultants are comfortable with the way they have done campaigns and are not eager to try something new. Corporate advertisers and their agencies similarly were skeptical two years ago. But in the end, they did not want to lose the advantage to their competitors. That's why, as with the use of other media, the gap between the political world and the corporate world will close in the months ahead. There's no other choice.