The latest most-seen auto ads, ranked by national TV ad impressions from April 29 through May 5 by iSpot.tv, make use of either compelling visuals or highlight electric vehicles.
The spots from Ram Trucks (No.1 with 249.8 million national TV ad impressions) and Kia (No.2, 137.5 million) focus on flashy footage filled with action shots — and both prioritized reaching sports fans. NBA games delivered 11 million impressions for the Ram Trucks spot and 26.3 million for Kia’s. Additionally, the NASCAR Cup Series was Ram’s No.2 program by impressions, delivering 7.1 million. About the Kia ad, one young (age 21-35) female viewer surveyed as a part of iSpot’s Creative Assessment declared, “This ad definitely got my attention with the visuals.”
Meanwhile, electric vehicles are on display in Mercedes-Benz’s “Trinit-E” (in third place with 106.7 million national TV ad impressions) and “Paradox” from Lexus (No.4, 101.6 million). The former concentrated on reaching audiences via cable networks such as HGTV (37.5 million impressions), AMC (12 million) and BBC America (6.4 million), while the latter went after a sports crowd on ESPN (19.4 million impressions) primarily through SportsCenter (9.5 million) — although MTV’s Ridiculousness (4.9 million) was Lexus’s No.2 program by impressions. Lexus in particular achieved its goal of getting people interested in the RX Hybrid. According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 34% of surveyed viewers thought the product itself was the single best thing about the ad.
As for Subaru, strong visuals play a role in many of its ads, but just as notable is how the brand crafts characters and storylines to connect with viewers in mere seconds. This week’s No.5 ad, “The Moment,” with 98.6 million national TV ad impressions, is no different. A harrowing accident scene stirs up stressful emotions, then offers relief by showing that the passengers were kept safe by their Outback. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this spot had an overall Persuasion score 10% above industry norms, and 35% of surveyed viewers considered the message the single best thing about the ad. Shows in syndication delivered top impression counts, led by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (5.7 million), Friends (2.8 million) and The Big Bang Theory (2.1 million).
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Impressions: 249,797,075
Interruption Rate: 4.16%
Attention Index: 80
Est. TV Spend: $1,579,248
2. Kia: Built for the Unstoppable
Impressions: 137,466,812
Interruption Rate: 2.98%
Attention Index: 110
Est. TV Spend: $1,743,752
Impressions: 106,724,085
Interruption Rate: 3.42%
Attention Index: 95
Est. TV Spend: $884,203
Impressions: 101,606,195
Interruption Rate: 1.92%
Attention Index: 82
Est. TV Spend: $451,082
Impressions: 98,633,345
Interruption Rate: 3.46%
Attention Index: 86
Est. TV Spend: $814,079
Data provided by iSpot.tv, The New Standard for TV Ad Measurement
TV Impressions - Total TV ad impressions delivered for the brand or spot.
Interruption Rate - The percentage of devices that were present at the beginning of the ad but did not complete watching the ad. Actions that interrupt ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV. The Interruption Rate is measured on a scale of 0 to 100%.
Attention Index - A comparison of the ad’s Interruption rate against its specific media placement. The Attention Index is measured on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 is the average and means the ad is performing as expected.
Est. National TV Spend - Amount spent on TV airings for the brand’s spots.
