Republican presidential candidates spent the most money ever on advertising during the South Carolina primary, but it didn't necessarily result in success at the polls.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry spent the most on ads in South Carolina and got little return on their investment, according to The State.

Romney and his Super PAC spent $4.7 million for a disappointing second-place finish and Perry spent $2.5 million before dropping out of the race prior to primary day.

In contrast, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich spent $2.4 million in South Carolina and still ran away with the primary, earning 40 percent of the vote.

Rep. Ron Paul and Sen. Rick Santorum each spent about $1.7 million in South Carolina and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman spent $50,404 before he exited the race.

According to data collected by Patch, candidates and their super political action committees spent $1.7 million on major television networks in Columbia, $982,984 in Charleston and more than $3 million in Greenville.

Gingrich's campaign championed his ability to use social media and word-of-mouth to make up for his relatively low budget. His grassroots campaign and dominant debate performances evidently made up for his lack of television ad presence.

Even with the spending advantage, Romney could not hold a double-digit lead during the last week of the primary.

According to The State, Super PACs were responsible for 58 percent of ad spending in the Palmetto State and the Myrtle Beach/Florence market saw the most ads.