Dodge’s ‘Inner Child Intervention’ No.1 Among Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

Sports usually play a pivotal role in TV ad impression generation for the automotive industry, but iSpot.tv’s analysis for May 13-19 reveals a different road taken by the most-seen commercials: Four of the top five ads saw morning shows among the programming with the highest impressions counts, with the fourth-place spot from Genesis being the exception. 

A Dodge spot for the Hornet R/T takes first place on the ranking with 189.5 million national TV ad impressions. Three of its top five programs by TV ad impressions were news-related: Today With Hoda & Jenna delivered 6 million impressions, while CBS Mornings generated 5.7 million and America’s Newsroom ran up 5.3 million. That being said, two other programs were ahead: Forensic Files (8.4 million impressions) and Mecum Auto Auctions lndianapolis 2024 (7.1 million).

“The Calling,” promoting the ’25 Ram 1500, is at No.2 with 143.7 million national TV ad impressions. CBS and NBC were nearly tied for impressions, generating 13.3 million and 13.1 million, respectively, while MSNBC delivered 11.5 million. Four of the top five programs by impressions were news/talk shows: CBS Mornings (8.8 million impressions), Today 3rd Hour (6.6 million), The Talk (4.3 million) and Today With Hoda & Jenna (3.5 million); Forensic Files ranked fifth with 3.4 million impressions. 

The third-place Jeep ad, which had 136.5 million national TV ad impressions, pairs a bumpin’ soundtrack with action shots of the ’24 Wrangler and Gladiator models to evoke a fun, carefree feeling that clearly resonated with viewers: Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this commercial had an overall Persuasion score nearly 17% above the automotive industry norm. Additionally, it ranked above average across all creative components measured including attention, likeability, watchability and desire. Although the 2024 PGA Championship dominated for programming impressions (17.3 million), news/talk shows including Today With Hoda & Jenna, Alex Witt Reports, Morning Joe and CBS Mornings round out the top five. 

Catchy beats were also featured in the No.4 Genesis ad promoting the GV70 and GV80 models. Nearly 70% of its 131.7 million national TV ad impressions came from primetime ad airings. As mentioned above, this spot broke from the pack in terms of top impressions-generating programming: Young Sheldon delivered 14.7 million impressions, followed by Chicago Fire (10.9 million) and The Voice (10.2 million). 

Subaru was the only brand on the ranking that saw the NBA among its top programming by impressions. Playoff games delivered 9.4 million impressions, although that total was below Today’s impression count (10.9 million). ABC and NBC led for networks, generating 25.3 million and 21 million impressions, respectively. The ad also diverges from the others on the chart in terms of tone, taking a somber look at the aftermath of a car accident. Viewers were receptive, with 35% citing the message as the single best thing about the commercial, according to iSpot’s Creative Assessment. 

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1. Dodge: Inner Child Intervention 

Impressions: 189,466,925 

Interruption Rate: 3.01%

Attention Index: 81

Est. TV Spend: $843,921 

2. Ram Trucks: The Calling 

Impressions: 143,701,442 

Interruption Rate: 3.66%

Attention Index: 86

Est. TV Spend: $909,092 

3. Jeep: 4x4 Season: Famous for Freedom: All Eyes on Me 

Impressions: 136,493,957 

Interruption Rate: 3.42%

Attention Index: 86

Est. TV Spend: $608,536 

4. Genesis: Bring the Wow: GV70 and GV80 

Impressions: 131,739,348 

Interruption Rate: 2.17%

Attention Index: 95

Est. TV Spend: $1,154,448 

5. Subaru: The Moment 

Impressions: 127,407,120 

Interruption Rate: 2.74%

Attention Index: 109

Est. TV Spend: $1,275,651 

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.