Chevrolet Remains Atop Most-Seen Auto Ads Chart

Chevrolet continues to harness the power of NFL games to rake in the TV ad impressions as measured by iSpot.tv.

During the week of Jan. 16-22, its first-place ad highlighting various Silverado models generated 294.3 million impressions, over a third of which came from NFL and related gameday coverage.  iSpot’s Creative Assessment survey data shows the spot had 90% brand recognition (the percentage of survey respondents who remembered it was a Chevrolet ad after watching it) –  above the automaker industry norm of 81%. 

With 220.6 million TV ad impressions, a new spot for the Honda Pilot TrailSport takes second place. This spot had the most airings of the top five (over 1,100) and the third-highest estimated spend ($5.6 million). NBA basketball was the top impressions-driving programming (12.5 million TV ad impressions), followed by SportsCenter (5.9 million). 

Set to exhilarating guitar riffs from Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child,” Acura’s third-place ad drives home that the brand’s upcoming electric models will have a new look and new power, but the same DNA and energy its customers expect. According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, it scored 9% above auto industry norms for Persuasion as well as Attention, with 31% of survey respondents citing the visual scenes as the single best thing about the commercial. 

“Electrified” from Lexus takes fourth place with 136 million TV ad impressions, but unlike previous weeks, the ad did not air across NFL games during the period measured. Instead, it was SportsCenter, Postseason NFL Countdown and NBA basketball that drove the most impressions (5 million-6 million each). 

Kia rounds out the ranking with a stirring spot for the ’23 Sportage X-Pro, encouraging viewers to “make more good.” The man in the ad certainly does, using his vehicle to clean up trash on a beach to make it safe for sea turtles. The environmentally friendly theme resonated: 20% of iSpot Creative Assessment survey respondents said the message was the single best thing about the commercial.

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1. Chevrolet: Adventure Is Everywhere 

Impressions: 294,291,210

Interruption Rate: 1.77%

Attention Index: 110

Est. TV Spend: $10,928,981

2. Honda: Act of Determination 

Impressions: 220,612,129

Interruption Rate: 2.94%

Attention Index: 92

Est. TV Spend: $5,585,113

3. Acura: New World. Same Energy.

Impressions: 144,079,314

Interruption Rate: 2.61%

Attention Index: 86

Est. TV Spend: $6,214,236

4. Lexus: Electrified 

Impressions: 136,043,847

Interruption Rate: 2.72%

Attention Index: 95

Est. TV Spend: $1,086,306

5. Kia: Beachcomber

Impressions: 135,266,788

Interruption Rate: 3.84%

Attention Index: 74

Est. TV Spend: $2,344,549

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.