Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP presidential front-runner, is launching an advertising push on the Internet. The innovative “banner” advertisements, which will be targeted to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, include a clever pitch for Mr. Bush’s tax plan that allows viewers to calculate how much they might save if his proposal is enacted. Mr. Bush’s new tactic is the latest in a series of fast-moving developments that together seem likely to change the face of political campaigns. The presidential campaigns already have shown surprising success at raising contributions on the Internet. If Internet advertising is successful, it could provide meaningful competition to broadcast as a medium for reaching voters. An adviser to Mr. Bush said the new ad program was modest in cost and was intended mainly as a test of the new technique, which was designed by the political consulting firm Aristotle Co. Web surfers receive the tax advertisement atop their screens after they log on to the Internet and visit any of thousands of predesignated sites, such as those of portal companies or news organizations. The scrolling text reads: “How much will the BUSH TAX CUT save YOU? Find out right in this banner!” Viewers are directed to an interactive “tax calculator” that drops down when they click on a button. After various income and family data are entered, the calculator spits out the prospective savings. None of the data are captured or recorded, Aristotle said. In another ad, tailored to New Hampshire voters, several pictures of Mr. Bush flash on the screen next to the scrolling text: “This is an interactive banner! Click here to expand this banner!” When the viewer does so, a box drops down, filled with a statement by Mr. Bush on his policy decisions. If the viewer clicks on the box, he or she is transported to a location on the candidate’s Web site designed specifically for Granite State voters. The Bush effort follows a similar small-scale test of the new ad technique by the campaign of Sen. John McCain, who engaged Aristotle to help him gather signatures in order to get on the primary ballot in Virginia. The ads exploit computer-aided targeting of voters based on voter-registration information and other data that people have willingly given to companies such as Internet-service providers. In the Bush case, Aristotle has identified voters registered as Republicans or independents who are likely to vote in the Iowa caucases or New Hampshire primary. Cross-referencing those names with those provided by Internet companies, Aristotle can pipe the ads to sites those people are likely to visit in their regular travels on the Web. Jay MacAniff, a spokesman for Aristotle, declined to say which Web sites would be featuring the ads. The placement process is actually handled by another company, which declined to name, that brokers Internet-advertising deals. |