Dodge’s ‘Last Call’ No.1 Among Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

A high-octane Dodge commercial moves from third to first place week-over-week, racking up 199.1 million national TV ad impressions across March 18-24 — a 45% increase from the previous week, per iSpot.tv. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament delivered 55.6 million impressions, with Today (8.2 million) and The Beat With Ari Melber (7 million) in a distant second and third place. Looking at top networks by impressions, CBS generated 28.1 million, followed by Fox News (17 million) and MSNBC (16.2 million). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this ad scored above the automotive norm for attention and likeability. 

At No.2 with 184.5 million national TV ad impressions is a Hyundai spot promoting its Getaway Sales Event, during which customers can get special deals on models such as the ’24 Palisade Limited or Palisade SEL. Top impression-generating networks included NBC (21.2 million), ABC (15.7 million) and ESPN (12.3 million), while top programming included NBA games (12.9 million impressions), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9.3 million) and MLB games (6.4 million). 

GMC owns the third- and fourth-place commercials. At No.3 is “THE Truck,” highlighting features of the Sierra model which has “the world’s first six-function MultiPro Tailgate.” Nearly 82% of its 182.5 million impressions came from airings during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Wheel of Fortune was the second top impressions-generating program (1.9 million), followed by NBA games (1.4 million). CBS (88.3 million impressions), TNT (22.4 million) and TBS (20.2 million) led the list of networks by impressions. 

The ’24 Sierra HD is on display in GMC’s No.4 ad, which ran up 171.3 million national TV ad impressions. Nearly all of those impressions came from airings during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, with top networks including CBS (90.6 million), TNT (25.7 million) and TBS (20.7 million). 

Mercedes rounds out the ranking with a sleek spot for the ’24 E-Class — a model, the spokesperson explains, that “evolves with you.” It received 152.9 million national TV ad impressions, over a third of which came from primetime ad airings. Notably (and unlike the other ads on the ranking), sports did not play a large role when it came to impressions: HGTV did the heavy lifting, delivering 54.5 million across all of the top five programs by impressions, including House Hunters (14.1 million), My Lottery Dream Home (6.4 million) and Small Town Potential (3.8 million). AMC (16.8 million impressions) and CNN (10 million) were the other top two networks. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 27% of surveyed viewers considered the product itself to be the single best thing about the ad. 

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1. Dodge: Last Call: Grab the Wheel

Impressions: 199,118,610

Interruption Rate: 2.83%

Attention Index: 87

Est. TV Spend: $2,749,190

2. Hyundai: Getaway Sales Event: Add More Joy

Impressions: 184,525,907

Interruption Rate: 2.76%

Attention Index: 92

Est. TV Spend: $1,169,162

3. GMC: THE Truck

Impressions: 182,511,310

Interruption Rate: 3.25%

Attention Index: 98

Est. TV Spend: $4,991,238

4. GMC: HDNA 

Impressions: 171,275,987

Interruption Rate: 5.28%

Attention Index: 84

Est. TV Spend: $3,925,101

5. Mercedes-Benz: Evolves With You

Impressions: 152,945,764

Interruption Rate: 3.34%

Attention Index: 95

Est. TV Spend: $1,183,611

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.