Chevrolet’s Dog-Like Cat Debuts Among Most-Viewed Auto Ads

The ads featured in this week’s list of iSpot.tv’s most-viewed automotive commercials are largely the same as those reported in previous weeks, with one notable exception. But the numbers behind them are much different.

The estimated national spend among the five ads racking up the most impressions skyrocketed week-over-week to $13.7 million for the week of Sept. 6 from a collective $8 million the previous week.

What instigated this nearly $6 million increase? Easy answer: The start of NFL football season. Over half of the collective ad budget among the top five commercials went to NFL football opening week games and was driven by the spend behind three ads in particular: Chevrolet’s “Cat” (est. $3.8 million), Jeep’s “Wildly Civilized” (est. $1.8 million), and Toyota’s “Sneak Out” (est. $1.6 million). 

Although Jeep’s “Wildly Civilized” retains the crown for most-seen ad, Chevy’s ad debut (to this ranking), “Cat,” is the story of the week. Although fifth in overall impressions, “Cat” ranks first in viewer reaction, taking over the “fan favorite” crown from Nissan’s Brie Larson-helmed “60 Years in 30 Seconds.”

According to Ace Metrix Creative Assessment viewer survey data, “Cat” dramatically over-indexed in all categories vs. the auto industry norm, including Attention (16% over), Likeability (18.5% over) and Desire (15.7% over). “Loved the cat,” says one survey respondent, which basically sums up most of the verbatim viewer responses.

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Jeep: Wildly Civilized

Impressions: 379,027,250 

Interruption Rate: 2.46% 

Attention Index: 97 

Est. TV Spend: $3,977,892

Toyota: Sneak Out

Impressions: 239,568,774 

Interruption Rate: 1.66% 

Attention Index: 118 

Est. TV Spend: $3,528,165

Cadillac: Lighting the Way

Impressions: 188,385,625 

Interruption Rate: 2.57% 

Attention Index: 98 

Est. TV Spend: $1,237,592

Nissan: 60 Years in 30 Seconds

Impressions: 144,902,117 

Interruption Rate: 1.68% 

Attention Index: 98 

Est. TV Spend: $830,495

Chevrolet: Cat

Impressions: 133,577,111 

Interruption Rate: 1.96% 

Attention Index: 111 

Est. TV Spend: $4,239,371

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.