techPresident, a site dedicated to analyzing the use of Web 2.0 media in the presidential candidates campaigns, posted an interesting comparison of McCain and Obama YouTube viewership. (If you are curious, YouTubers have spent about 14 million hours watching Obama’s videos versus just under half a million hours watching McCain videos.)

Interestingly, the gang at techPresident quantified the value of each candidate’s YouTube exposure by comparing the number of views times the length of each video to television  advertising rates. A step-by-step approach to the math is provided on the blog. Using similar logic, public relations practitioners could assign a montary value to successful YouTube campaigns (and ultimately report ROI).

A few caveats about this method of measurement. Comparing online video to television does not take into account the key differences between the two media. A unique characteristic of YouTube is that viewers actively search for the content they view and watch the videos by their own choosing. Television commercials are less targeted and often are disruptive to the viewer. For example, I’m not suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome, I don’t need to sell an ugly home and I don’t eat fast food, yet advertisers for these products are still paying for my eyeballs when they purchase television slots. Also, this type of calculation does not take into account measuring attitude or behavior change the way measuring a specific call to action would.

However, this type of calculation does translate YouTube viewership into the language executive leaders speak. Converting online video views into a number that can be factored into the bottom line might be  just what we need to get buyin from executive leadership when proposing YouTube campaigns.