Hyundai, FCA, Toyota Roll COVID-Aware Ads

Hyundai moves up from third to first place in iSpot.tv’s ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials – the ads generating the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings.

The No.1 ad for the week of March 30 is a coronavirus-aware spot that promotes Hyundai Assurance, a program that will cover payments for up to six months if buyers loses their job this year due to COVID-19. The auto brand also is offering qualified customers interest-free financing and deferred payments for four months on select models.

Second place goes to a commercial from Fiat Chrysler that tells viewers “together, we can do this – because we are all one.” In that spirit, the automaker group is offering 0% financing for 84 months with no monthly payments for 90 days on select Dodge, Jeep and Ram models.

The FCA spot has the best iSpot Attention Index (166) in the ranking, getting 66% fewer interruptions than the average auto ad (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

At No.3, a family goes on a road trip to Arches National Park in their Subaru to give their young son a taste of adventure. Right now, buyers can get interest-free financing for 63 months on select ’20 models.

The fourth-place ad from Kia introduces the new ’21 Seltos and shows the model, which has all-wheel-drive capability, zooming through a desert landscape.

Toyota rounds out the ranking with a spot assuring customers the company is here for them and is committed to supporting communities because “the Toyota family is stronger together.”

As automakers continue to shift their TV advertising strategies due to the absence of live sports, marketers are on the lookout for the best networks to reach viewers. For the 7-day period through April 5, CBS, NBC, History Channel, ABC and HGTV led for TV ad impressions for automakers, according to iSpot data.

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1. Hyundai: Unpredictable 

Impressions: 257,077,859

Attention Score: 88.24

Attention Index: 91

Est. TV Spend: $4,579,093

2. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Drive Forward 

Impressions: 119,562,948

Attention Score: 96.35

Attention Index: 166

Est. TV Spend: $2,051,017

3. Subaru: Where the Heart Is

Impressions: 108,855,608

Attention Score: 84.36

Attention Index: 69

Est. TV Spend: $1,897,275

4. Kia: Shortcut 

Impressions: 106,303,573

Attention Score: 86.69

Attention Index: 81

Est. TV Spend: $1,886,944

5. Toyota: We Are Here For You

Impressions: 104,979,705

Attention Score: 86.38

Attention Index: 79

Est. TV Spend: $556,879

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 in its respective industry. 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.

iSpot Lift Rating - The iSpot Lift Rating measures the causal impact of TV advertising on key performance indicators (KPIs); put simply, it reflects new business driven by TV ad placements.