Honda Again Leads Ranking of Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

For the second week in a row, Honda’s “Keep Dreaming” takes first place on iSpot.tv’s ranking of the most-seen auto ads – but its 218.1 million national TV ad impressions represented a 6.5% week-over-week decrease. In contrast to the other four ranked commercials, the top daypart by impressions was weekend afternoon (instead of primetime), delivering over 31% of the ad’s total impressions. Football was again a key focus: Across the entire week, NFL games generated over 60 million impressions and college football games racked up 28.4 million.

Subaru owns the second- and third-place spots. In the No.2 commercial, Subaru outlines why the company and its retailers have donated $51 million to support pets, including older special-needs shelter dogs. This spot ran up 182.9 million national TV ad impressions, with top impressions-generating networks including NBC (36.3 million), CBS (15.6 million) and ABC (15.3 million). The automaker’s third-place commercial for the Crosstrek Wilderness received 152.6 million national TV ad impressions. NBC played a large role, accounting for 28% of the ad’s total impressions, while also owning the top three programs by impressions: Today (11.1 million), The Voice (9.5 million) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (6.9 million). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 34% of surveyed viewers considered the visual scenes the single best thing about the ad. 

Lexus aims for laughs with a spot for the TX, featuring a family finding sweet relief in the spacious 3-row vehicle after a harrowing, cramped airline flight. The commercial slips from second to fourth place week-over-week with 147.9 million national TV ad impressions (a 33% decrease from the previous week). Over 44% of those impressions came from primetime ad airings. NFL games generated 24.6 million impressions, while college football delivered 17.5 million. 

Kia rounds out the ranking with an enduring spot for the ’24 Telluride X-Pro that remains in fifth place for the third week in a row. It racked up 146.8 million national TV ad impressions, a 15% week-over-week increase. Top networks by impressions included CBS (18.6 million), Fox (12 million) and ABC (9.4 million). Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this ad scored about the automotive norm for attention, likability and desire. 

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1. Honda: Keep Dreaming

Impressions: 218,124,709

Interruption Rate: 3.05%

Attention Index: 110

Est. TV Spend: $4,588,490

2. Subaru: National Make a Dog's Day: Waiting

Impressions: 182,871,494

Interruption Rate: 3.19%

Attention Index: 96

Est. TV Spend: $1,759,707

3. Subaru: Push Your Limits

Impressions: 152,633,086

Interruption Rate: 2.89%

Attention Index: 105

Est. TV Spend: $1,657,446

4. Lexus: Battle Out There

Impressions: 147,925,640

Interruption Rate: 2.83%

Attention Index: 106

Est. TV Spend: $2,611,818

5. Kia: Larger Than Life Adventures

Impressions: 146,830,907

Interruption Rate: 3.78%

Attention Index: 94

Est. TV Spend: $1,762,595

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.