Hyundai ‘Gets Away‘ With Most-Seen Auto TV Ad

For the second week in a row, Hyundai takes first place in iSpot.tv’s most-seen auto ads ranking. Although it leads in impressions, this spot had the lowest estimated TV ad spend (est. $1.2 million) of the top five, with the biggest outlays going toward The Voice, The Big Bang Theory and Station 19. 

Chevrolet’s “Best-Selling” ad thanking all the Silverado owners out there moves up to second place from third, with a 20.7% increase in impressions week-over-week. The 2023 World Baseball Classic was the top impressions-driving program for the spot, with its 12.5 million TV ad impressions nearly twice the amount delivered by the No.2 program, CBS Mornings (6.8 million). 

In third place is a high-octane promotion for the new Dodge Hornet, which, the ad proclaims, is “Domestic. Not domesticated.” Nearly 82% of the spot’s estimated TV ad spend went to airings during men’s college basketball games, which in turn delivered the commercial’s highest program impressions total (31.1 million). 

Jeep’s recently-debuted “Bear Hunt” takes fourth place with 186.2 million TV ad impressions. The spot follows a group of friends navigating their Grand Cherokees across tricky terrain in search of Bear – a lost dog. According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this ad scored above the auto industry norm for likability and desire. Similar to Dodge, Jeep prioritized men’s college basketball, spending an estimated $1.9 million on airings that generated 22.6 million TV ad impressions. 

Buick rounds out the ranking with a spot for the ’23 Envision. Notably, this commercial had the highest estimated TV ad spend ($4.6 million) of the top five, but the fewest ad airings (147). One reason: Buick zeroed in on high-priced March Madness action, with 42% of its airings occurring during women’s college basketball games and 38% during men’s basketball. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 29% of surveyed viewers said the product itself was the single best thing about the ad. 

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

Impressions: 220,386,997

Interruption Rate: 2.20%

Attention Index: 112

Est. TV Spend: $1,184,682

2. Chevrolet: Best-Selling 

Impressions: 209,467,263

Interruption Rate: 2.88%

Attention Index: 97

Est. TV Spend: $1,529,708

3. Dodge: Swarming the Nation 

Impressions: 191,269,547

Interruption Rate: 2.13%

Attention Index: 98

Est. TV Spend: $3,003,250

4. Jeep: Bear Hunt 

Impressions: 186,211,508

Interruption Rate: 3.14%

Attention Index: 99

Est. TV Spend: $2,681,552

5. Buick: Quadruple Take 

Impressions: 178,868,017

Interruption Rate: 4.02%

Attention Index: 75

Est. TV Spend: $4,602,178

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.