Toyota Taps Nostalgia in Most-Watched Auto Ad

For all the focus given to live sports and similar tentpole viewing events as heavy drivers of ad impressions, this week the show delivering the single highest number of impressions for automotive ads hasn’t aired a new episode since 2004: Friends. 

The syndicated sitcom helped elevate Toyota’s “Ode to Summers Past” to the top position among carmakers in iSpot.tv’s ranking. A very close second was Subaru’s “Dog Tested: Lunch Stop” ad, appearing on the list for the first time this week. Only 337,000 impressions separated the first- and second-place commercials. 

Nissan’s “60 Years in 30 Seconds” returned to the list at No. 3, while Chevy’s “Muddy” and Hyundai’s “County Fair” slid to fourth and fifth, respectively. The latter two were the only ads in the top five for which Major League Baseball games helped deliver impressions. Hyundai also advertised during PGA Golf Tour telecasts, making “County Fair” the only spot in the top five with a second sports target. 

According to iSpot’s Ace Metrix survey, Chevy’s “Muddy” had the best brand recognition score in the ranking, with 90% of viewers remembering it was a Chevy ad after watching it. 

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Toyota: National Sales Event: Ode to Summers Past 

Impressions: 168,030,072 

Interruption Rate: 2.05% 

Attention Index: 108 

Est. TV Spend: $1,018,292

Subaru: Dog Tested: Lunch Stop 

Impressions: 167,692,852 

Interruption Rate: 2.63% 

Attention Index: 106 

Est. TV Spend: $1,323,084

Nissan: 60 Years in 30 Seconds 

Impressions: 166,765,993 

Interruption Rate: 2.43% 

Attention Index: 99 

Est. TV Spend: $1,181,444

Chevrolet: Muddy 

Impressions: 160,051,699 

Interruption Rate: 2.52% 

Attention Index: 102 

Est. TV Spend: $917,609

Hyundai: County Fair 

Impressions: 151,979,097 

Interruption Rate: 1.99% 

Attention Index: 108 

Est. TV Spend: $859,914

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 your 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 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.