McCain Powered Up Online Ad Spending in August

With cash that needed to be burned, Sen John McCain (R-AZ) amped up his Web video advertising in August while Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) decreased his online ad spend, according to data released today from Nielsen Online. Sen McCain increased his "image-based" impression by 254% over the prior month while his sponsored search links rose by 43%. Meanwhile, Sen Obama decreased the number of image-based impressions by 48% and sponsored links by 18%. Nielsen did not cite a reason for the change. Meanwhile, as Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is generating the headlines, online buzz remains focused on the candidates, Nielsen said. Sen Obama has a slight lead when it comes to online consumer discussion, followed by Sen McCain, then Gov Palin, then Sen Hillary Clinton.