Kia’s ‘Perfect 10’ Leads Latest Ranking of Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

Kia tugs at the heartstrings with the most-seen auto TV ad for Feb. 26 through Mar. 3, which received 142.9 million national TV ad impressions, per iSpot.tv. 

A homebound man is able to see his talented granddaughter ice skate on a frozen pond just outside his window, thanks to lights and a music rig connected to her dad’s EV9’s onboard power generator. Nearly 73% of the impressions came from primetime ad airings, led by Dateline NBC (6.4 million impressions), FBI (6.1 million) and Tracker (5.7 million). Top networks by impressions across all dayparts included CBS (29 million), NBC (22.4 million) and ABC (18.1 million). 

A promotion for Hyundai’s Getaway Sales Event takes second place with 99.1 million national TV ad impressions. We Are Family, a new Fox game show that premiered in January, was the No.1 program for the spot with 6 million impressions, followed by American Idol (4.6 million) and Family Feud (3.9 million). Fox delivered 11.5 million impressions, while The CW generated 9.6 million and ABC had 4.6 million.

The rugged readiness of the ’24 Toyota Tacoma is on display in the third-place spot, which received 94.1 million TV ad impressions. ABC generated 18.4 million of those impressions — 10 million more than the No.2 network, MTV (8.2 million) — while NBC delivered 6.4 million. Top programming by impressions included Chicago Fire (6.7 million), Ridiculousness (5.3 million) and American Idol (4.7 million). 

A sobering Subaru spot is at No.4 with nearly 91 million national TV ad impressions. As the aftermath of a car accident is shown, a woman embraces her daughter and husband with the voiceover explaining, “The moment I loved our Subaru Outback most was the moment they walked away from it.” According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 35% of surveyed viewers considered the message the single best thing about the ad. NCIS generated 5.6 million impressions for the spot, followed by Naked and Afraid (4 million) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (3.4 million). 

Subaru also owns the fifth-place spot, showcasing the three-row Ascent, which had 90.5 million national TV ad impressions. Cable networks delivered the top impression counts, led by Discovery (11 million), Animal Planet (10.3 million) and TNT (6.2 million). Top programming included Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (3.3 million impressions), Expedition X (3.1 million) and Alaska: The Last Frontier (2.9 million). 

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1. Kia: Perfect 10 

Impressions: 142,866,346

Interruption Rate: 3.36%

Attention Index: 111

Est. TV Spend: $1,555,492

2. Hyundai: Getaway Sales Event: Add More Joy 

Impressions: 99,143,137

Interruption Rate: 2.94%

Attention Index: 94

Est. TV Spend: $593,175

3. Toyota: Celebration 

Impressions: 94,145,489

Interruption Rate: 2.31%

Attention Index: 109

Est. TV Spend: $672,981

4. Subaru: The Moment 

Impressions: 90,985,399

Interruption Rate: 3.33%

Attention Index: 97

Est. TV Spend: $694,882

5. Subaru: What the Future Holds 

Impressions: 90,451,343

Interruption Rate: 3.01%

Attention Index: 104

Est. TV Spend: $642,587

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.