• January 30, 2012

Kelley Blue Book predicts the big auto winners from the Super Bowl will be the  2012 Chevrolet Sonic, getting a nearly 250% increase in traffic share on kbb.com, and 2012 Honda CR-V. 

The online auto marketing company says Sonic, being relatively new, stands to benefit from increased national exposure. It also happens to be a subcompact, a segment that's hot right now because of fuel economy and affordability.  

The firm says the 2012 Honda CR-V will also benefit long term, though it may not see the biggest gains during game time, "but will likely reach a higher plateau in consumer research and remain there for an extensive period of time." KBB says it will have a 100% increase in traffic during the game weekend. It is already one of the top 10 most-researched vehicles on kbb.com, per the firm, so it doesn't have a huge upside.

Said Arthur Henry, manager of market intelligence for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, in a statement, “The national exposure will only further interest in the model, as advertisements that resonate most with consumers are those that are model specific.”

The company says that during the 2010 and 2011 Super Bowl games, all models advertised saw an immediate bump in traffic after airing.  Those ads that were brand focused hardly moved the needle for online research.