Hyundai's Most-Seen Auto Ad Gets Assist From NBA Games

With 232.2 million national TV ad impressions, Hyundai takes first place on iSpot.tv’s most-seen auto ads ranking for March 27 through April 2 with its “Own Every Mile: Key West'' sales promotion. The automaker upped its estimated national TV ad spend on the spot 83.4% week-over-week, with the biggest outlay (est. $373,000) going toward NBA basketball games. Nearly 40% of the spot’s impressions came from primetime airings, with Chicago Fire, NBA games and Chicago P.D. leading the charge in that daypart. 

Ram’s second-place spot is an ode to truck owners that starts with Lainey Wilson singing “I have a heart like a truck, it’s been drug through the mud” before the spokesperson chimes in to declare that “Ram owners have heart for being fearless, determined and bold.” According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, the music resonated with viewers, with 15% citing it as the single best thing about the ad, above the auto industry norm of 6%. Daytime news programs delivered the most impressions, led by Today (8 million impressions), CBS Mornings (7.1 million) and Today 3rd Hour (6.6 million).

Kia owns two spots in the ranking. Its No.3 ad promotes the ’23 Niro EV with the Digital Key 2 Touch feature that allows drivers to unlock the vehicle with their phone. Kia’s fifth-place commercial, first aired during the Super Bowl, features a father making a mad dash in the family’s Telluride to recover his baby’s forgotten pacifier. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, “Binky Dad” scored 8.4% above the auto industry norm for likability and 7.7% above the norm for attention. Notably, although these ads had the fewest airings (241 and 233, respectively) in the chart, they notched high impressions thanks in part to Kia’s focus on NBA basketball games, The Voice and The Bachelor. 

Jeep’s fourth-place spot “Bear Hunt” also has a mad-dash theme, but in this case it’s about friends recovering a lost dog in the woods with the help of their Grand Cherokees. Men’s college basketball was the top impressions-driving programming (9.2 million impressions), followed by 60 Minutes (4.7 million) and Blue Bloods (4.5 million). 

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

Impressions: 232,201,999

Interruption Rate: 2.92%

Attention Index: 84

Est. TV Spend: $1,604,069

2. Ram Trucks: Truck Month: To Be a Ram: Have Heart 

Impressions: 174,237,439

Interruption Rate: 2.97%

Attention Index: 90

Est. TV Spend: $1,364,265

3. Kia: The Astronaut

Impressions: 100,514,042

Interruption Rate: 3.58%

Attention Index: 96

Est. TV Spend: $1,046,107

4. Jeep: Bear Hunt 

Impressions: 99,666,972

Interruption Rate: 2.89%

Attention Index: 103

Est. TV Spend: $1,148,401

5. Kia: Binky Dad 

Impressions: 86,287,301

Interruption Rate: 3.48%

Attention Index: 85

Est. TV Spend: $1,113,705

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.