College Football Go-To Vehicle for Most-Viewed Auto Ads

College football programming was the favored advertising vehicle for four of the five brands on iSpot.tv’s latest ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials – the ads generating the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings.

Leading the pack for the week of Aug. 30 was Jeep’s “Wildly Civilized” spot, which ranked No.1 for the third week in a row and was backed again by the highest estimated spend among national automotive TV ads.

Jeep spent over $2.5 million, according to iSpot estimates, mostly on NBC and college football, both of which drove the most impressions. According to Ace Metrix Creative Assessment survey data, 27% of viewers ranked the visuals as the single best thing about the ad. The product itself ranked second at 19%.

Nissan’s “60 Years in 30 Seconds” also retained its position from the previous week, at No. 2, with college football delivering the most impressions. Captain Marvel actress Brie Larson stars in the ad, which topped Ace Metrix survey data rankings in the categories of Attention, Likeability and Desire. The ad scored above the auto industry norm in these categories by 9.6%, 10.1% and 12.5%, respectively. 

Next up were two newcomers for the week: Toyota’s “Sneak Out” and Cadillac’s “Lighting the Way.” Both brands spent most of their ad budgets on college football, and in both cases college football delivered the impressions. 

Viewers of the Toyota ad virtually tied in what they thought was the single best thing about the spot (which focuses on parents following their son, who sneaks out of the house for tacos with friends). The Toyota brand itself led with 17% of the responses, while the product (a pair of Toyota hybrid 4-doors) ranked just behind at 16%.

Cadillac, meanwhile, put its efforts behind its Lyriq battery-electric CUV, using the song “Lighting the Way” by DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels that has become a staple for the campaign. 

Lincoln Motor Company’s “Summer Is a State of Mind” Nautilus spot fell to fifth for the week and was the only spot among the top five that didn’t rely on collegiate football for exposure. Instead, the company stuck with its Fox News approach for both spending and impressions. The spot scored highest among Ace Metrix survey viewers in terms of watchability, at 7% above the auto industry norm. 

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Jeep: Wildly Civilized

Impressions: 379,308,139 

Interruption Rate: 2.40% 

Attention Index: 97 

Est. TV Spend: $2,544,025

Nissan: 60 Years in 30 Seconds

Impressions: 211,039,664 

Interruption Rate: 1.77% 

Attention Index: 98 

Est. TV Spend: $1,260,252

Toyota: Sneak Out

Impressions: 184,567,997 

Interruption Rate: 2.34% 

Attention Index: 108 

Est. TV Spend: $1,930,618

Cadillac: Lighting the Way

Impressions: 179,345,917 

Interruption Rate: 2.61% 

Attention Index: 103 

Est. TV Spend: $1,209,948

Lincoln Motor Company: Summer Is a State of Mind

Impressions: 165,948,629 

Interruption Rate: 3.12% 

Attention Index: 86 

Est. TV Spend: $1,002,770

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

*Ace Metrix auto industry norms data measured over the last 90 days.

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.