Lexus Again Leads Ranking of Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

For the second week in a row, a Lexus RX hybrid commercial sits atop iSpot.tv’s ranking of the most-seen auto TV ads. It received 295.2 million national TV ad impressions from Sept. 18-24, a decrease from the previous week but enough to beat the No.2 spot from Ram Trucks. Once again ESPN (57.5 million impressions) was the top impressions-driving network, followed by Bravo (28.1 million) and ABC (25.7 million). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 38% of surveyed viewers considered the product itself to be the single best thing about the Lexus commercial. 

The second-place ad proclaims that “a truck is a tool, but a Ram is life.” Over 20% of its 261.9 million national TV ad impressions came from sports commentary programming, led by College Football Studio (23.8 million impressions). Top networks included ABC (36.8 million impressions), MSNBC (20.7 million) and ESPN (15.8 million). Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this commercial had an 88% brand match (the percentage of survey respondents who remembered it was a Ram Trucks ad after watching it), above the recent automaker industry norm of 77%.

Chevrolet’s “For All of Life’s Firsts” moves from fifth to third place week-over-week, racking up 211.6 million national TV ad impressions. Nearly a third of its total impressions for the week came from ad airings on Sunday, with NFL games delivering a total of 34.4 million impressions. Other top programs by impressions during the week included Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (18.6 million) and The Big Bang Theory (5.2 million). 

The ranking shuffling continues with an ad from Subaru, which slips to fourth place from third previously. The commercial, highlighting the adventure-seeking nature of the Crosstrek Wilderness, had 209 million national TV ad impressions. Cable networks delivered top impression counts, led by MSNBC (28.7 million), TBS (13.7 million) and CNN (11.8 million). 

No.5 goes to a ranking newcomer: Volkswagen’s “Carpool Chaos,” which ran up 176.2 million national TV ad impressions. As with the Subaru spot, MSNBC (18.9 million impressions) and CNN (15 million) were two of the top networks by impressions — but HGTV was ahead of both, delivering 27.6 million, 7.5 million of which came from House Hunters alone.

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1. Lexus: Paradox 

Impressions: 295,248,655

Interruption Rate: 2.89%

Attention Index: 96

Est. TV Spend: $2,734,278

2. Ram Trucks: Power Days: Life 

Impressions: 261,871,456

Interruption Rate: 3.77%

Attention Index: 92

Est. TV Spend: $1,503,467

3. Chevrolet: For All of Life’s Firsts 

Impressions: 211,576,367

Interruption Rate: 3.05%

Attention Index: 101

Est. TV Spend: $3,469,379

4. Subaru: Push Your Limits 

Impressions: 208,974,272

Interruption Rate: 3.83%

Attention Index: 91

Est. TV Spend: $1,513,941

5. Volkswagen: Carpool Chaos 

Impressions: 176,185,460

Interruption Rate: 3.71%

Attention Index: 90

Est. TV Spend: $1,224,247

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.