A Third of Online Users Click on Campaign or Advocacy AdsBurlington, MA (October 28, 2004) One-third (32.4%) of likely voters say they have clicked on a web advertisement for a political candidate or issue advocacy group during the presidential campaign. These clicks inspired action with nearly three in four of those who clicked on an ad (72.4%) going on to read additional information about the candidate's platform, according to a BURST! Media survey of nearly 1,500 likely voters (18 years and older who say they will either "definitely" or "probably" vote in this year's presidential election).
Users also answered calls to action with nearly half (44.5%) signing-up to receive campaign email alerts, 42.8% watching a video ad, 31.8% making an online donation, and 21% signing to volunteer for the campaign.
"This is an extraordinary response to campaign ads," says Jarvis Coffin, President and Chief Executive Officer of BURST! Media. "Any ad that prompts people to seek further information or take a definitive action like signing up for a newsletter or making a donation, is having a powerful impact."
Among likely voters who have clicked on a web ad, 68.6% say they have clicked on an advocacy group's ad. Among them, two-thirds (66.2%) go on to read additional information on the groups positions on campaign issues, 43.3% click and send an automated message to an elected official, 41.6% sign-up to receive email alerts, 40.9% sign an online petition, 35.2% watch a video ad, 30.1% sign-up to become a member, 23.6% make and online donation, and 13.5% sign-up to volunteer for the organization. Women are more likely than men to send an automated message to an elected official (53.2% versus 37.5%), sign-up to receive email alerts (46.2% versus 39.0%) and sign an online petition (50.6% versus 35.2%). Men are more likely than women to say they have clicked on a candidate's or advocacy group's web ad, 38.7% versus 25.9% respectfully
Half Visit Candidate Websites, But Audience is Surprisingly Older
Although less than half (46.1%) of likely voters have visited the website of a candidate during the current presidential election season, this is double the number who say they visited a candidate's website in the 2000 presidential election, according to the BURST! Media study. Surprisingly, young likely voters have not visited candidates' websites at the rate of their elders. Only one-third (35.0%) of likely voters 18-24 years, and 42.4% of likely voters 25-34 years saying they have visited a candidate's website. This stands in stark contrast to likely voters 35 years and older, of whom one-half say they have visited a candidate's website in the current presidential election.
The findings for men and women are similar - with 46.7% of men and 45.4% of women saying they have visited a candidate's website during the current election season.
Likely Voters Say They Are Knowledgeable On Candidates' Positions on Issues
Three-in-five (62.2%) likely voters say they are "very knowledgeable" about the candidates' positions on the issues they believe are most important in the upcoming presidential election. Another 28.3% say they are "somewhat knowledgeable". Interestingly, male voters are much more likely than female voters to say they are "very knowledgeable" - 67.3% to 56.8% respectfully. Also, definite voters are much more likely than probable voters to say they are "very knowledgeable" about election issues, 67.7% to 19.9% respectively.
Visiting the Opposition
Over one-half (56.5%) of likely voters who have visited a candidate's or advocacy group's website say they have visited a web site of a candidate or issue advocacy group they don't support or are unsure they'd support. Of those who have visited a candidate's or group's sites they didn't support - over two-thirds (72.5%) say they wanted to learn more about the candidates' or organizations' position on issues, 68.1% say they wanted to learn more about the candidate's or group's strategy/plans/tactics, and 23.8% say they wanted to send comments to the group or candidate.
BURST! Media is an Internet ad services and online ad sales rep company that delivers more than 2.4 billion advertising impressions for over 2,000 web publishers. Every month, BURST! reaches 1 in 4 people online, making it one of the largest online ad companies in the U.S. By providing thousands of web publishers with tools and expertise from ad sales to email newsletter tools and community forums for learning, BURST! helps publishers generate sustainable revenue. The company, founded in 1995 and based near Boston, also markets AdDesktop, a competitively-priced, ASP ad management solution that helps web publishers securely target, serve, track and report the performance of online advertising campaigns.
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