Aviator, McConaughey No.1 Again Among Most-Seen Auto Ads

The Lincoln Aviator and actor Matthew McConaughey reclaim first place on iSpot’tv’s ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials – the ads collecting the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings.

In the top-ranked spot for the week of Oct. 28, McConaughey emerges from vivid smoke clouds in the ’20 Aviator and proclaims that Lincoln offers “performance that just leaves you feeling better.” The ad was No.1 on the iSpot.tv chart for four consecutive weeks in mid-September and early October.

Second place goes to Subaru’s commercial for the ’19 Ascent, which follows a family trek through the woods to a breathtaking mountain view, an experience that draws even the brooding teenage daughter out of her shell.

This ad has the best iSpot Attention Index (153) in the ranking, getting 53% fewer interruptions than the average auto ad (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

In the No.3 spot, real Chevrolet owners (not actors) explain that the brand is the only one to have won J.D. Power Dependability Awards across its cars, trucks and SUVs four years in a row.

Nissan’s fourth-place ad showcases the ’20 Altima’s available features including remote start, a VC-turbo engine and lane-departure warning as a man drives to a friend’s house to answer a text message in person. This spot was No.1 for two weeks before being bumped by the Aviator and McConaughey.

Hyundai rounds out the ranking with a spot comparing its biggest utility vehicle, the Palisade CUV, with its smallest, the Venue crossover. By way of analogy, a spokesman tells viewers “it’s not the size of the dog in your adventure, but the size of the adventure in your dog.”

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1. Lincoln Motor Company: Fresh Take On Movement 

Impressions: 337,836,050

Attention Score: 87.45

Attention Index: 68

Est. TV Spend: $5,769,638

2. Subaru: Dream Big

Impressions: 315,062,597

Attention Score: 96.03

Attention Index: 153

Est. TV Spend: $4,784,388

3. Chevrolet: J.D. Power Dependability Awards: Real Presenters 

Impressions: 255,371,199

Attention Score: 93.55

Attention Index: 124

Est. TV Spend: $3,474,903

4. Nissan: Text Answering 

Impressions: 235,784,041

Attention Score: 91.09

Attention Index: 96

Est. TV Spend: $4,991,339

5. Hyundai: Size of Adventure: Venue 

Impressions: 190,081,975

Attention Score: 89.31

Attention Index: 80

Est. TV Spend: $5,186,462

Data provided by iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company.

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

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs the average. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

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