Data Point
Super Bowl Ads Electrify Consumer Interest in Cars
Tuesday February 13, 2024
In addition to crowning the Kansas City Chiefs national champions, Sunday’s Super Bowl reminded us of two truths: First, television advertising is far from dead. Second, when people see a vehicle they want or want to know more about, they put down the nachos and go to the internet.
Cox Automotive’s Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book websites are among the largest, busiest consumer sites available. During the championship game Sunday evening, our teams reviewed traffic patterns to gauge the impact of the four automobile-focused ads. Notes from the research include:
Autotrader Highlights
- Kia’s “Perfect 10” featured the EV9, which saw the highest model lift with a 486% increase compared to pre-game levels. The brand overall garnered a 34% lift.
- Volkswagen’s 75-year history in the U.S. was showcased in “An American Love Story,” featuring the original Beetle all the way through to the ID.4, and a future with the ID.Buzz. This spot bolstered the brand to the #1 make in terms of in-game lift: a 117% increase.
- Toyota’s “Dareful Handle” featured the fun and thrilling ride of the Tacoma, and the brand was also an official partner of the NFL. Toyota already enjoys high shopper volumes on a regular basis, but over the course of the game, Toyota saw the highest research volumes on Autotrader among advertised brands, and Tacoma saw the highest research volumes among advertised models.
- BMW’s “Talkin with Walken” in the first quarter delivered 370% lift for the i5 (the second-highest lift among models on Autotrader), 28% lift for the 5 Series, and 18% lift overall for the brand.
Kelley Blue Book Highlights
- Volkswagen ID.Buzz saw the highest model lift with a 13,500% increase over the pre-game baseline and drove VW to #1 in brand lift.
- Kia saw the highest shopper volumes among advertised brands on Kelley Blue Book, and EV9 saw the highest research volumes among advertised models.
- BMW’s i5 saw the second-highest model lift with a 3,400% increase.
- Toyota saw the second-highest shopper volume among brands on Kelley Blue Book.
Impact on EVs
The team also looked at the impact on the EV segment on Kelley Blue Book specifically. Overall, EV traffic experienced substantial gains (up 223%) on game night, while hybrid research saw only a moderate traffic lift (up 8%). Electric SUVs outpaced other segments in traffic growth on game night.
Two reports came from the research: