Most-Seen Auto TV Ads Harness NFL, College Football Playoffs

Football was a key driver of reach for four of the top five automaker ads, as ranked by iSpot.tv’s TV national ad impressions from Dec. 30 through Jan. 5. Subaru’s fourth-place commercial was the outlier (more on that below). 

In the No.1 spot from Ram Trucks, former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt explains how he realized that “life isn’t about how many people you can knock down — it’s about how many people you can lift up.” Over 57% of the commercial’s total 147.2 million national TV ad impressions came from NFL games, while college football generated 14% and men’s college basketball delivered 9%. According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this commercial had an 85% 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 79%.

Mercedes-Benz takes second place with a spot featuring Bradley Cooper, in which its electric G-Class model takes on rugged mountain terrain. College football was an overwhelming focus: Over 92% of the commercial’s total 143.8 million national TV ad impressions came from playoff quarterfinal bowl games, while the rest of its impressions came from College GameDay. Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 32% of survey respondents considered the visual scenes to be the “single best thing” about the ad. 

Elegance and refinement are the themes of Kia’s third-place ad, promoting the X-Line Nightfall Collection. NFL games generated nearly 38% of the spot’s total 127.7 million national TV ad impressions, while college football delivered 15%. Additional reach came from the NBA (4% of total impressions), Dick Clark's Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2025 (4%) and House Hunters (3%).

Subaru tugs at the heartstrings with its No.4 ad, showing how hard – but rewarding – working at an animal shelter can be. Each year during its Share the Love initiative, the automaker supports organizations including the ASPCA by making charitable donations with each vehicle purchased or leased. From a creative standpoint, this commercial performed notably well: It scored above the automotive average for attention, likability, desire and relevance, with 36% of surveyed viewers citing the message as the “single best thing” about the ad. 

Jeep rounds out the ranking with a sleek spot highlighting various features of the electric Wagoneer S, including multiple drive modes and its ability to go over 300 miles (483 km) on a single charge. The commercial aired solely during football and related programming: NFL games generated nearly 64% of the commercial’s total 93.4 million national TV ad impressions and college football games accounted for 28%, with the rest of its reach coming from The NFL Today (6%) and Fox NFL Kickoff (2%).

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1. Ram Trucks: The Calling: Football

Impressions: 147,213,952        

Interruption Rate: 1.96%

Attention Index: 167

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $6,484,321

2. Mercedes-Benz: The Needle

Impressions: 143,808,410  

Interruption Rate: 2.59%

Attention Index: 152

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $2,278,144

3. Kia: Elevated by the Dark

Impressions: 127,723,913     

Interruption Rate: 2.80%

Attention Index: 141

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $3,883,936

4. Subaru: Support the ASPCA

Impressions: 100,572,597      

Interruption Rate: 3.20%

Attention Index: 112

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $1,223,445

5. Jeep: Beautiful Things Can Still Get Dirty

Impressions: 93,413,680   

Interruption Rate: 1.29%

Attention Index: 178

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $4,193,415

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. 

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.