• by Tanya Gazdik , September 10, 2024

Automakers spent 6.1% more on estimated national TV spending in August compared to a year ago — $128.8 million vs. $121.5 million. 

But the year-to-date tally is down 5.1% compared to the same period in 2023 — $1.4 billion vs. $1.5 billion, according to iSpot.tv. 

August 2024 household TV ad impressions totaled 25.9 billion compared to 28.1 billion during the same period in 2023 — down 8.1% year-over year. Year-to-date impressions also dropped 11.7% to 185.9 billion compared to 210.5 billion in the same period in 2023.

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spending for August 2024 were Toyota ($23.4 million), Kia ($9.6 million), Volkswagen ($9.6 million), Subaru ($9.6 million) and Hyundai ($9.5 million).

Although all of the top five brands had substantial investments in the 2024 Paris Olympics, August also brought the return of football, which also attracted automaker attention, said Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president, media partnerships at iSpot.tv. 

“Automakers capped off a busy summer of TV advertising by diving head-first into August college football action as the first of many live sports returning to the air this fall,” Schwartzapfel tells Marketing Daily. “While these advertisers are also finding reach during entertainment programming like sitcom reruns and reality TV, sports remain the go-to programming to put messaging in front of the widest audience possible.”

Each of the top five brands advertised during college football games, and all but Subaru also invested in NFL preseason games. MLB action was another focus, ranking among the top five programs by spend for four of the top five automakers, according to iSpot.tv.

Subaru was the exception, with minimal investment there. Instead of focusing outlay on sports, Subaru prioritized reaching Hispanic audiences, with Spanish-language shows accounting for seven of its top 20 programs by spend. 

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions in August 2024 were Toyota (13.02%), Hyundai (8.71%), Nissan (7.30%), Ford (5.67%) and Chevrolet (5.61%), according to iSpot.tv.

Sports, led by the Olympics, were a key driver of audience reach for automakers in August. A scheduling quirk put week 1 of college football season in August, giving automakers a 239% year-over-year increase in ad impressions during those games for the month. Major League Baseball ad impressions were also up 7% year-over-year. 

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions in August 2024 was Hyundai: Summer: Add More Joy (7.00%), Nissan: Crazy Story: Rogue (3.13%), Jeep: Make the Most (2.83%), Ram Trucks: The Calling: Sparks (2.77%) and Volkswagen: Hot Dog (2.56%), according to iSpot.tv.

The top automaker ads by “likeability” among the top 20 most-seen ads in August 2024 was  Volkswagen: An American Love Story (+16.3% more likeable than the recent automotive norm), Ram Trucks: The Calling: Sparks (+9.2%), Nissan: The Ultimate Connection (+6.1%), Volkswagen: Hot Dog (+5.2%) and Audi: Capability (+3.6%).

As part of iSpot's creative assessment survey, likeability measures an ad's ability to appeal to viewers, based on results from the survey prompt “I like this ad.”

Ram Trucks’ “The Calling” was not only one of the most-seen automaker ads in August, it was also among the most-liked by audiences. 

The spot takes a storytelling approach, featuring sculpture artist and welder Luis Varela-Rico and his Ram 1500 truck. Top emotions/reactions expressed by surveyed viewers included “cinematic,” “heartfelt” and “inspiring.” 

This commercial outperformed the automotive norm across components including desire, attention, watchability and relevance, and had an overall persuasion score 9.3% above the industry norm.