Hyundai Owns This Year’s Most-Seen Auto TV Ad

Sports were a key driver of reach for four of the top five most-seen auto TV ads in 2024, per iSpot.tv’s analysis covering Jan. 1 through Dec. 15. The outlier was Dodge’s “Inner Child Intervention,” which ranked fifth but stood out in the creative realm (more on that below). Also of note is that two of the ads — from Hyundai and Jeep — only activated during the summer months, but managed to rack up enough impressions to make the chart.

In first place is Hyundai’s “Summer: Add More Joy” sales promotion, which ran up 2.86 billion household TV ad impressions despite solely airing from July to September 2024. MLB games were integral to the spot’s wide reach, accounting for 14.6% of its total impressions. Family Feud was the No. 2 program by impressions (5.2%), followed by Modern Family reruns (2.9%) and the NFL (2.5%). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this spot had an 83% brand match (the percentage of survey respondents who remembered it was a Hyundai ad after watching it), above the 2024 automaker industry norm of 77%.

GMC’s “THE Truck,” highlighting various features of the ’24 Sierra 1500 models, takes second place with 2.84 billion household impressions. Eight of the top ten programs by impressions were sports-related, led by college basketball games (38% of the spot’s total impressions). Another 20.5% of impressions came from NFL games, while other NFL-related programming delivered additional audiences: Fox NFL Sunday accounted for 7.9% of total impressions and NFL on Fox Pregame delivered 7.3%. Further reach came from college football (2.7%), MLB (2.7%) and The OT (2.5%). 

At No.3 with 2.38 billion household impressions is Genesis’ “Illuminated.” The visual scenes, featuring a driver taking the ’25 GV80 on a nighttime spin that lights up the street, were cited as the “single best thing” about the ad by 36% of survey respondents, while 16% preferred the music (from musical group Jungle) above all else. PGA Tour golf led for reach, generating 4.9% of the spot’s total impressions, followed by MLB (4.3%), college football (4%) and the NBA (3.2%). 

“Make the Most,” a summer sales event spot from Jeep that aired from June to mid-September, takes fourth place with 2.22 billion household TV ad impressions. Top programming by impressions included the 2024 Open Championship (3.2%), Forensic Files (2.9%) and Today (2.7%), with additional reach coming from college football and NFL games (each accounting for 2.6% of total impressions). 

Dodge’s fifth-place commercial for the Hornet R/T is particularly notable in two ways: It mostly eschewed sports programming, and took a creative, funny storytelling approach that resonated with viewers. 

“Inner Child Intervention” features a tattooed kid with serious swagger taking his older self on a joyride in the “totally torqued-out crossover.” Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, the commercial performed above the automotive average for attention, likeability, watchability, information, desire and relevance, with a persuasion score 16% higher than the 2024 auto norm. Additionally, the spot inspired notable positive purchase intent, with 58% of respondents saying they were “more” or “much more” likely to purchase after viewing the ad. Forensic Files was the top program by reach (driving 7.3% of total impressions for the spot), followed by CBS Mornings (2.9%) and Two and a Half Men (1.9%). 

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1. Hyundai: Summer: Add More Joy

Impressions SOV: 1.07%

Total household impressions: 2.86 billion

Number of airings: 7,084

Top three networks by impressions SOV: ABC (15.41%), CW (10.73%), Fox (10.53%)

Top three programs by impressions SOV: MLB (14.56%), Family Feud (5.20%), Modern Family (2.93%)

2. GMC: THE Truck

Impressions SOV: 1.07%

Total household impressions: 2.84 billion

Number of airings: 3,449

Top three networks by impressions SOV: Fox (39.09%), CBS (28.72%), TBS (5.44%)

Top three programs by impressions SOV: Men’s college basketball (38.01%), NFL (20.51%), Fox NFL Sunday (7.90%)

3. Genesis: Illuminated

Impressions SOV: 0.89%

Total household impressions: 2.38 billion

Number of airings: 6,710

Top three networks by impressions SOV: CBS (13.57%), NBC (12.37%), ABC (10.66%)

Top three programs by impressions SOV: PGA Tour Golf (4.85%), MLB (4.28%), college football (4.00%)

4. Jeep: Make the Most

Impressions SOV: 0.83%

Total household impressions: 2.22 billion

Number of airings: 13,144

Top three networks by impressions SOV: NBC (10.97%), CBS (9.34%), MSNBC (5.39%) 

Top three programs by impressions SOV: 2024 Open Championship (3.16%), Forensic Files (2.89%), Today (2.69%)

5. Dodge: Inner Child Intervention

Impressions SOV: 0.82%

Total household impressions: 2.17 billion

Number of airings: 20,901

Top three networks by impressions SOV: MSNBC (10.22%), HLN (7.62%), Fox News (6.70%)

Top three programs by impressions SOV: Forensic Files (7.34%), CBS Mornings (2.94%), Two and a Half Men (1.92%) 

Data provided by iSpot.tv, The New Standard for TV Ad Measurement.

Chart positions and other data may be updated in iSpot’s database as additional airings information becomes available.