Automaker Advertising Leans Into March Madness

Chevrolet continues to up its investment in its “Best-Selling” spot highlighting various Silverado models: According to iSpot.tv, the automaker increased its estimated TV ad spend for the spot 37.7% week-over-week, which resulted in a 9.7% increase in TV ad impressions. Sports were a key focus, with men’s March Madness games, PGA Tour golf and the 2023 World Baseball Classic as the top impressions-driving programs.

With 183.7 million impressions, Hyundai’s “Getaway Sales Event” spot takes second place, down from first the previous week. The Big Bang Theory was the top impressions-driving program (8.6 million impressions), followed by SportsCenter (6.9 million), PGA Tour golf (6.3 million) and the 2023 World Baseball Classic (5.4 million). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this ad scored above the auto industry norms for likability, information, desire and relevance. 

In the fast-paced No.3 ad, Dodge declares it’s “taking the nation by swarm” with the new Hornet. This spot generated 157.6 million TV ad impressions during the week, with 15% coming from men’s March Madness games. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 29% of surveyed viewers said the product itself was the single best thing about the ad. 

“Make Your Dream Car a Reality” from Mercedes-Benz takes fourth place with 135.5 million TV ad impressions. The sleek cinematics resonated with viewers: 33% of iSpot Creative Assessment survey respondents cited the visual scenes as the single best thing about the ad. This commercial had the lowest TV ad spend (est. $868K) of the top five and, unlike the other brands in our ranking, Mercedes eschewed a sports-heavy approach in favor of news programming: The Five, America Reports and Anderson Cooper 360 were the top shows by impressions, while Fox News and CNN led for impressions-generating networks. 

Buick’s fifth-place spot promoting the ’24 Encore GX had the highest estimated spend ($6.3 million) of the top five, but the fewest airings (58) – all of which occurred during March Madness games (both men’s and women’s) and related coverage. 

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1. Chevrolet: Best-Selling 

Impressions: 229,761,474

Interruption Rate: 2.68%

Attention Index: 98

Est. TV Spend: $2,107,486

2. Hyundai: Getaway Sales Event: Own Every Mile: Key West 

Impressions: 183,748,284

Interruption Rate: 2.75%

Attention Index: 85

Est. TV Spend: $874,337

3. Dodge: Swarming the Nation 

Impressions: 157,588,533

Interruption Rate: 2.39%

Attention Index: 100

Est. TV Spend: $2,685,389

4. Mercedes-Benz: Make Your Dream Car a Reality 

Impressions: 135,453,571

Interruption Rate: 3.10%

Attention Index: 92

Est. TV Spend: $868,160

5. Buick: Imagine That 

Impressions: 131,408,527

Interruption Rate: 3.51%

Attention Index: 95

Est. TV Spend: $6,274,696

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.