Football Delivers Extensive Reach for Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

Football, and college football in particular, was a top focus for the most-seen auto TV ads, according to iSpot.tv’s analysis across Sept. 16-22. Four of the five commercials on the ranking also activated around NFL games. 

In first place with 289.8 million national TV ad impressions is Jeep’s “You Know,” highlighting the features and capabilities of various models in action across all types of terrains. College football generated 27% of its total impressions, with another 8% coming from NFL games. CBS was the top network by impressions, accounting for 25%, followed by Fox with 16%. According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this ad performed above average for likeability among surveyed viewers.

Lexus takes No. 2 with a spot that received 181.1 million national TV ad impressions. Although college football delivered the widest reach (18% of impressions), reality TV was another focus, with Below Deck Mediterranean and The Real Housewives of Orange County among the top programs for impressions. The commercial performed above industry norms for attention, likeability and desire. 

“The Calling: Blessed” from Ram Trucks is in third place with 176.2 million national TV ad impressions. It had the highest brand match (the percentage of survey respondents who remembered it was a Ram Trucks ad after watching it) — 93% — of the five ads in the ranking. College football games generated 14% of the spot’s total impressions, with another 4% coming from the NFL. 

At No. 4 with 120.2 million national TV ad impressions: Nissan’s “Reinvent Yourself,” promoting the ’25 Kicks. The spot, highlighting the model’s available features including a panoramic moonroof and Bose audio system, is set to OutKast’s “The Way You Move” — a good choice, as the music was cited as the “single best thing” about the commercial by 16% of surveyed viewers. About 18% of the ad’s total impressions came from college football games, with another 7% delivered by America’s Got Talent and 4% from NFL games. 

GMC went nearly all-in on football with its fifth-place spot, with games delivering a notable 95% of its total 97 million national TV ad impressions. But unlike the other ads on the ranking, it prioritized the NFL (74% of impressions) over college football (21%). The commercial performed above industry norms for attention and information, with 27% of surveyed viewers saying the product itself (the Hummer EV) was the “single best thing” about the ad. 

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1. Jeep: You Know

Impressions: 289,805,267

Interruption Rate: 3.08%

Attention Index: 113

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $6,610,990

2. Lexus: Free

Impressions: 181,137,566

Interruption Rate: 2.11%

Attention Index: 91

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $1,283,933

3. Ram Trucks: The Calling: Blessed 

Impressions: 176,164,902

Interruption Rate: 4.07%

Attention Index: 100

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $3,607,840

4. Nissan: Reinvent Yourself 

Impressions: 120,179,044

Interruption Rate: 2.90%

Attention Index: 102

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $1,554,227

5. GMC: The Time Has Come

Impressions: 96,940,055   

Interruption Rate: 1.88%

Attention Index: 161

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $10,837,494

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.