Use of Online Resources Grow as Election Nears

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- iCrossing (http://news.icrossing.com/), a global digital marketing company, today announced the results of an update to the original How America Searches: Election 2008 report, published in July, 2007. The study combines a survey of potential voters' attitudes and behaviors with respect to researching presidential candidates and political issues on the Web, with a detailed analysis of the visibility of candidates and issues in both natural and paid search. The complete study can be found at http://www.icrossing.com/research.

The study finds that the number of people using online resources has grown 31 percent since the first iteration of the study from June, 2007. The study further finds that information on candidates' positions on specific issues are still top-of-mind for voters, but the candidates still have relatively poor natural and paid search visibility for issue-related keywords.

    KEY FINDINGS
    -- The Internet's influence on politics grows. The number of potential
       voters turning to the Internet for election information has increased
       by 31 percent since the original How America Searches: Election 2008
       report was published in July, 2007. The Internet, previously tied with
       newspapers as the second most-popular channel, now leads newspapers 55
       percent to 47 percent as an election information resource.
    -- Issues still of top importance to searchers.  Eighty-seven percent of
       potential voters search on an election issue, and finding more
       information about a candidate's position on a specific issue remains
       the leading reason they conduct candidate searches (85%).
    -- The economy and health care join war in Iraq and gas prices, as top
       issues of interest online. Interest in global warming cools. Searches
       related to the economy have grown 29 percent and global warming has
       been knocked out of the top 10 issues searched online. The most popular
       issues are currently health care (49%), the economy (49%), war in Iraq
       (48%), and gas prices (44%).
    -- Candidate search volumes are up. Obama holds lead nationally and in
       Pennsylvania. Candidate search volumes have increased greatly since the
       original How America Searches: Election 2008 report, with Obama leading
       the number of voter searches by a wide margin. This margin over Clinton
       is also seen in searches conducted in Pennsylvania in the run-up to
       that state's Democratic Primary.
    -- Obama leads on natural search results for issues.  All candidates weak
       on paid search results for issues. Barack Obama leads on issues-related
       natural search visibility, with 60 percent share of market followed by
       Ron Paul (36%), Hillary Clinton (3%), and John McCain (1%). Paid search
       on issues keywords is much lower than that of candidate keywords;
       McCain and Obama are each estimated to spend one percent of total paid
       spend on issues keywords, while Clinton's presence in issues-based paid
       search results is negligible.
    -- More women turn to the Web to learn about candidates and issues. The
       original How America Searches: Election 2008 report showed that men
       conducted election research online at much higher rates than women (47%
       vs. 38%).  Currently, both genders rely on the Internet equally for
       election-related information; 56 percent of men and 54 percent of
       women.

About iCrossing

iCrossing is a global digital marketing company that combines talent and technology to help world-class brands find and connect with their customers. The company blends best-in-class digital marketing services -- including paid and natural search marketing, Web development, social media, research and analytics -- to create integrated digital marketing programs that engage consumers and drive ROI. iCrossing's client base includes such recognized brands as Epson America, Toyota, Travelocity and 40 Fortune 500 companies, including The Coca-Cola Company and Office Depot. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company has 620 employees in 15 offices in the U.S. and Europe.

    Media Contact:
    Dana Mellecker
    Dana.mellecker@icrossing.com
    646-435-4456