Honda Reclaims Top Spot on Most-Viewed Auto Ads List

Honda returns to first place in iSpot.tv’s ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials –the ads that have generated the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings.

The week of Nov. 22 saw Honda’s spot, titled “The Origin of Determination,” overtake the previous week’s leader by about 6 million impressions. Although clocking in at a full minute, the ad still kept viewers engaged, according to iSpot’s Ace Metrix survey data, scoring 12% higher than the industry norm for “attention.” 

Honda’s success came at a price, with an estimated national ad spend totaling twice as much as any other auto ad on the list, at $8.5 million. About $6.5 million of that total was directed at NFL games, which delivered a third of Honda’s total views for the week. 

Lincoln’s “Unexpected” falls to second on the list after leading it last week. It too leaned on the NFL for views, devoting roughly half its estimated national ad spend on the sport, which delivered about 7% of its total views. 

Viewers found the ad 7% more likable than the industry norm, according to iSpot’s Ace Metrix survey data. And 40% of respondents found the ad’s visual scenes the “single best thing” about it – double that of the industry norm. 

Lexus stays on the list this week, but for a different ad with a holiday-focused theme. College football and basketball delivered the views. The ad received nearly the same number of airings as Honda’s first-place spot (1,426 to 1,431) but for a quarter of the estimated national spend. 

Subaru and Ram Trucks round out the list, with Subaru’s spot touting its charitable donations dominating assorted Ace Metrix scoring categories. The ad rated 16% higher than the industry norm in likability, 10.5% higher in attention and 9% higher in watchability. A whopping 46% of respondents found the ad’s message the “single best thing” about it (compared to an industry average of 9% for that option).

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Honda: The Origin of Determination

Impressions: 287,987,486 

Interruption Rate: 2.29% 

Attention Index: 114 

Est. TV Spend: $8,578,063

Lincoln Motor Company: Wish List Event: Unexpected

Impressions: 281,673,964 

Interruption Rate: 2.77% 

Attention Index: 89 

Est. TV Spend: $3,676,168

Lexus: December to Remember: Runway

Impressions: 234,004,352 

Interruption Rate: 1.62% 

Attention Index: 108 

Est. TV Spend: $1,389,885

Ram Trucks: Black Friday Sales Event: The Nice List

Impressions: 222,282,811 

Interruption Rate: 2.89% 

Attention Index: 83 

Est. TV Spend: $3,861,051

Subaru: Share the Love Event: The Largest Impact

Impressions: 221,204,743 

Interruption Rate: 3.23% 

Attention Index: 85 

Est. TV Spend: $2,322,292

Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands

*Ace Metrix auto industry norms data measured over the last 90 days.

TV Impressions - Total TV ad impressions delivered for the brand or spot.

Interruption Rate - The rate at which the audience present at the beginning of your ad disengages with it before it ends.

Attention Index - A comparison of your ad’s Interruption Rate against your specific media placement. The Attention Index is measured on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 is the average and means your ad is performing as expected.

Est. National TV Spend - Amount spent on TV airings for the brand’s spots.