Nissan Overtakes Jeep in Most-Seen Auto Ads Race

Nissan bumps Jeep out of first place in iSpot.tv’s ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials – the ads that have generated the most impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings.

For the week of July 26, Nissan breaks out of its second-place position to take the lead. Nissan’s “Return to Rugged” spot took the top spot based on the performance of its placement, getting plenty of airtime in such popular sitcoms as Two And A Half Men and King of Queens (in syndication), as well as Young Sheldon.

According to Ace Metrix Creative Assessment survey data from iSpot, viewers in the past 90 days found the product the single best thing about the ad at 23% of those surveyed, with the visuals second at 19%. 

A newcomer, Toyota’s “National Sales Event: Open New Doors” spot, takes the second-place spot vacated by Nissan. According to Ace Metrix, viewers found the spot 3.7% more watchable than the norm for automakers in the past 90 days. The Toyota brand itself led the charge on the single thing viewers found most appealing, at 19%, followed by the product at 17%.

Jeep’s “Wildly Civilized” spot is third for the week after several weeks atop the ranking. Ace Metrix has it 6.1% above the auto brand norm for attention over the past 90 days, and 6.6% above the norm for likeability. The ad’s visual scenes scored highest among viewers, with 27% saying it was the best thing about the ad, with the product itself second at 19% of viewers. 

Rounding out the list are a pair of debuts, Ford’s “Make It Revolutionary” and another Toyota ad, “Upstream.” 

Ford’s “Revolutionary” spot showcases the automaker’s electric vehicle line with a strong message around innovation. That struck a chord with Ace Metrix viewers, with 21% citing the brand as the best thing about the ad, and 19% highlighting the message. Ace Metrix data shows the ad garnered 13.2% more attention than the norm for auto creative in the past 90 days, and was 14.6% more likeable.  

Meanwhile, Toyota’s “Upstream” doesn’t promote a particular model, but rather the company’s support of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams while featuring paralympic swimmer Jessica Long. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the ad was placed solely against Olympic programming across NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC and the Olympic Channel.

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1. Nissan: Return to Rugged

Impressions: 248,610,811 

Interruption Rate: 1.58% 

Attention Index: 98 

Est. TV Spend: $1,572,539

2. Toyota: National Sales Event: Open New Doors

Impressions: 230,267,818 

Interruption Rate: 2.26% 

Attention Index: 98 

Est. TV Spend: $1,779,543

3. Jeep: Wildly Civilized

Impressions: 216,780,442 

Interruption Rate: 2.50% 

Attention Index: 97 

Est. TV Spend: $1,618,018

4. Ford: Make It Revolutionary

Impressions: 199,410,815 

Interruption Rate: 2.56% 

Attention Index: 97 

Est. TV Spend: $2,120,969

5. Toyota: Upstream

Impressions: 150,458,985 

Interruption Rate: 3.40% 

Attention Index: 97 

Est. TV Spend: $2,230,017

Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands

TV Impressions - Total TV ad impressions delivered for the brand or spot.

Interruption Rate - The rate at which the audience present at the beginning of your ad disengages with it before it ends.

Attention Index - A comparison of your ad’s Interruption Rate against your specific media placement. The Attention Index is measured on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 is the average and means your ad is performing as expected.

Est. National TV Spend - Amount spent on TV airings for the brand’s spots.