AP (via Newsday): Political Ads Popping Up on Web Sites

The efficiency of message distribution and proven effectiveness in fundraising efforts will drive a record year for political advertising, according to all the newly-minted experts. The Associated Press wrote a wrap-up of online political developments, all of which seem to portend a big bout of spending come the end of the summer. Politicos don't think the online spending will begin to approach the huge sums sunk into television, but with more than half of voters now online, it might be an important sum.

Traditionally, election years boost TV ad prices due to very high demand, particularly in the spot markets. In the online world, high media prices are typically seen only on business-to-business sites or other specialized content. Political ads may bring to the general consumer market a set of ad buyers to take up slack demand in the face of traditionally relatively low consumer packaged goods interest in online media.