Monday, May 18, 2026

Jeep Lands 'Most Patriotic' Brand Designation For 25th Year

 If you have a fun Jeep dealer in your DMA....make a call on them and take up the newest patriotic product they may want to share with consumers: Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

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Jeep Lands 'Most Patriotic' Brand Designation For 25th Year

The Jeep brand has been named America’s most patriotic brand for a 25th consecutive year, according to Brand Keys.

“That enduring spirit of capability, independence and adventure lives on in every vehicle we make, and we're truly humbled by the deep, lasting connection our customers have to the brand and everything it represents,” says Bob Broderdorf, Jeep chief executive officer, in a statement.

Other brands in the Brand Keys top 10 are Coca-Cola, Ford, Levi Strauss, Disney, Amazon, Walmart, Hershey’s, Ralph Lauren and WeatherTech. This year, the study features the top 100 brands.

One of the more interesting findings this year is not how much the rankings changed, but how little they did, says Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys.

“The consistency among many of the long-term leaders is itself an important story,” Passikoff tells Marketing Daily. “In an environment where consumer sentiment, politics, culture, and trust shift constantly, maintaining a strong association with patriotism over decades is remarkably difficult.”

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, patriotism is both retrospective and forward-looking. It honors where the country has been while signaling where Americans believe it should go, he says. 

"The brands that lead our 25th annual Most Patriotic Brands survey understand that patriotism is not a seasonal campaign, a holiday promotion, or a July Fourth sales event,” Passikoff says. “It is a sustained emotional and cultural value that consumers recognize as authentic or reject when it feels performative. That’s what makes Jeep’s continued leadership especially notable.”

From a branding perspective, it represents one of the most durable emotional brand positions in modern marketing history, he says. 

"Very few brands have maintained this level of resonance around a single national value for 25 consecutive years, particularly because the meaning of patriotism itself continues to evolve across generations,” Passikoff says. “Jeep’s ability to continually align with those changing expectations suggests something larger than successful advertising. It reflects an enduring relationship between brand, identity, and country that has become embedded in American culture itself.”

This year’s survey reached 9,720 consumers, ages 18 to 65, balanced across the nine U.S. census regions for gender and political affiliation. It evaluated 1,200 brands across 120 categories using emotional, psychological, and higher-order statistical analytics. The methodology -- which is validated by the ARF, ANA, and 4As -- measures how patriotism contributes to, not just perception, but brand profitability.

Politically, patriotism has become increasingly contested terrain, Passikoff says. 

“In a polarized environment, interpretations of what constitutes ‘true’ patriotism vary across ideological and tribal lines,” Passikoff says. “Yet our research consistently shows that while Americans may disagree on policy, they still converge around foundational ideals: freedom, fairness, opportunity, and national progress. Brands that authentically reflect those enduring principles transcend partisanship.  Brands that attempt to appropriate patriotism without substance do not.”

Automotive TV Spending Down 18% In April

 

automotive

Automotive TV Spending Down 18% In April


Automakers spent an estimated $131.9 million in April on national linear TV, down 18% year over year vs. $160.8 million in April 2025, according to iSpot.tv. 

Year-to-date spending is also down 20%. Spending so far this year totals $751.7 million compared to $940.6 million in the same period in 2025. 

Household TV ad impressions also fell in April to 15.7 billion (down 7% year over year) compared to 16.8 billion in April 2025. Year-to-date household TV ad impression totaling 59.9 billion are down 18.4% compared to 73.4 billion in April 2025, per iSpot.tv. 

Luxury brands topped the list of the top five brands by estimated national linear TV ad spending: Lexus ($13.7 million), Mercedes-Benz ($12.2 million), Ford ($10.3 million), Subaru ($9.7 million) and Kia ($9.6 million).

Men’s college basketball (Final Four, National Championship) accounted for over 24% of auto industry spend in April, followed by the NBA, with 14.22% of spend, according to iSpot.tv.

Top non-sports-related programming by estimated spend  included La casa de los famosos (1.60%), Marshals (0.91%) and Hermanas, un amor compartido (0.60%) – in part showing brands’ continued interest in Spanish-language programming.

Lexus (23.30% spend Share Of Voice) and Ford (55.54%) prioritized budget toward men’s college basketball games, while Mercedes went big on the Masters Tournament (68.46% of its monthly spend). Subaru mostly skipped the sports to focus on morning news programming, while Kia allocated over 40% of its budget to the NBA. 

“The auto category’s long-standing dedication to live sports remains clear, but the most recent growth story is unfolding across Spanish-language TV,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of media partnerships at iSpot tells Marketing Daily. “Impressions are climbing considerably for Spanish-language networks and programs, providing automakers with an opportunity to expand audiences beyond their traditional playbooks.” 

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions were: Toyota (11.20%), Hyundai (8.78%), Lexus (8.32%), Ford (7.55%) and Chevrolet (6.99%).

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming were Hyundai (10.52%), Jeep (9.21%), Volkswagen (7.47%), Ram Trucks (7.45%) and Toyota (7.34%), per iSpot.tv. 

The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions were  NBA (12.58%), MLB (4.91%), NHL (3.93%), 2026 Masters Tournament (3.31%) and men’s college basketball (3.07%).

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions were: Chevrolet: This Is Who We Are (3.88%), Subaru: Wild at Heart (1.83%), Buick: Now Is Exceptional (1.82%), Nissan: Go Rogue (1.69%) and Toyota: Industry Plants (1.46%).

The top automaker ads by likeability per an iSpot.tv assessment were  Chevrolet: See the USA (+8.6% more likeable than April automotive norm), Toyota: Rugged Attitude Vehicle (+5.1%), Ford: What You Were Meant To (+4.5%), Toyota: Runway-Approved Vehicle (+3.9%) and Toyota: Roam Anywhere Vehicle (+2.9%).

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent per an iSpot.tv assessment were:  Toyota: A Night Out (54%), Nissan: Perfect Family Vehicle (52%), Nissan: Extreme Potholes (51%), Toyota: Buddies (50%) and Toyota: More Choices (50%).

The top programs most likely to reach auto intenders per iSpot’s advanced audience ranker, which showcases the programs reaching the highest share of households interested in buying a new car were NBA (22.13%), 2026 Masters Tournament (17.98%), 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (15.55%), MLB (15.10%) and NHL (13.68%). These consumers watched at least one hour of live, national linear TV in April. 

The top non-sports/news program was “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10.50%), followed by “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (10.04%) and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (10.01%), per iSpot.tv.

Digital-First Streamers Up Ad Spend, Prime Video At $52M

 

Digital-First Streamers Up Ad Spend, Prime Video At $52M


Among the digital-first premium streaming services, Amazon Prime Video is continuing to spend big on national TV networks for advertising and promotion -- with an estimated $52.5 million since the start of this year through May 17, according to iSpot.tv.

This was driven by 5,874 airings resulting in 2.8 billion impressions for its new sports programming addition: NBA basketball. Spending is up from a year ago -- to $43.3 million in national TV spend.

Live sports continues to be the main beneficiary of this spend, led by NFL football, NBA basketball, and college football and basketball on networks including ESPN, NBC, CBS, and ABC.

Netflix, the largest premium streamer, is also raising its TV advertising-promotional profile with nearly double its spend of a year ago -- $31.9 million.

This year, Netflix’s spending produced 306.6 million impressions from 380 airings.

Netflix touted shows like "The Adventures of Cliff Booth," "The Rip," "Frankenstein" and the Oscar-nominated movie "Train Dreams."

TV shows benefiting her include NFL football on the major networks, including NBC's airing of the Super Bowl as well as NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," and "WWE Friday Night Smackdown."

Last year, Netflix spent $16.3 million in national TV advertising, with 599 million impressions from 443 airings.

Its premium streaming service, Apple TV, is at $17.1 million -- lower than the $22.2 million a year ago.

This year it touted new efforts including: "The Moment," "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" and “Hijack,” and "No Notes." Apple TV produced 852.5 million impressions from 4,191 airings.

Legacy TV-owned streaming services including Paramount Skydance's Paramount+, NBCU's Peacock and Walt Disney's Disney+, ESPN and Hulu -- benefit from those companies' owned TV network advertising inventory. Digital-first streamers need to spend for advertising on those networks.

Local Television’s Biggest Challenge Isn’t Technology — It’s Human Nature

 

TV News Check

Broadcast Industry News - Television, Cable, On-demand

Local Television’s Biggest Challenge Isn’t Technology — It’s Human Nature

Technology can’t replicate human connection, but we need to embrace its precision tools that have become essential for competition.

For decades, local television buying has been powered by people, relationships, experience and instinct. In many ways, that human element is exactly what made this business great.

Deals were built through conversations, trust and market knowledge that could only come from years of experience. But like childhood Christmas mornings, the industry has evolved, and some of that old magic now lives mostly in our memories.

The key now is taking that experience, knowledge and intuition and applying it to today’s environment, technologies and tools. That combination will be the real secret to success in the future of local investment.

Humans are fascinating. We complain endlessly about inefficiency, wasted time and outdated workflows, but the moment a new technology arrives that could solve many of those problems, we immediately focus on the one thing it can’t do instead of the hundred things it suddenly can.

Not because the technology doesn’t work, but because change forces people to rethink where they fit.

I’ve spent my career in local television investment, and one thing I’ve learned is that our industry does not resist innovation because we lack intelligence or capability. We resist it because local television has always been deeply personal. Buyers, sellers and station partners have built careers around relationships — and in many cases, real lifelong friendships — along with negotiation skills, institutional knowledge and the ability to call on each other for help or favors when needed. When new technology enters the picture, there is often an immediate fear that those skills and relationships somehow become less valuable.

That fear is understandable, but I believe it’s misplaced.

Recently, I was standing on a street corner in San Francisco watching autonomous vehicles move people around the city with no driver behind the wheel. I remember thinking to myself, “People are riding around in driverless cars, and I still can’t get exact airing times of my spots in the software I’m using. How is this possible?”

What I later realized was even more important. The issue wasn’t that the technology didn’t exist. It was that I was still operating within the limits of what I had always known. Once I stepped outside my normal workflow and explored newer technologies being built specifically for local media, I discovered there were platforms capable of bringing that information directly to my desktop in near real time.

The capability was already there. I just had to be willing to embrace it.

That hesitation does not only exist on the agency side. It exists across the entire ecosystem — agencies, station groups, sales organizations and even individual account executives.

On the sales side, there can be concern that automation and programmatic systems somehow reduce the value of relationships; that smarter buying tools could make the process feel less personal; that data and algorithms could replace decades of market expertise and partnership building.

But let’s be honest for a moment — AI is never going to call a station rep on a Friday afternoon asking for two extra Super Bowl tickets for a client.

Relationships still matter. In local television, they always will.

Technology cannot replicate human connection. What it can do is remove friction from the transactional side of the business so buyers and sellers can spend more time focusing on strategy, ideas, partnerships and results.

That should excite us — not threaten us.

No platform can replace the instincts of a seasoned local buyer or seller who understands the nuances of Atlanta versus Phoenix. No algorithm can fully replicate the value of trusted relationships between agencies and station partners. But technology can eliminate inefficiencies that prevent talented people from spending time on higher-value thinking.

I often refer to the technologies I work with today as “precision tools.” A brain surgeon cannot operate at their highest level without advanced instruments. Even the most talented surgeon in the world would likely achieve better results with a sharpened scalpel than a butter knife. That does not diminish the surgeon’s expertise. It enhances it.

Technology should be viewed the same way in local television.

The experience, instincts and relationships built over decades still matter tremendously. But modern tools can sharpen our capabilities, improve precision, increase speed and allow talented professionals to perform at a higher level than ever before.

Technology is not replacing expertise. In many ways, it is becoming the sharpened scalpel.

Every major shift in this industry has faced resistance at first. There was a time when people said they would never text because “that’s what email is for.” Many resisted it. Eventually, texting became the preferred form of communication for an entire generation.

Innovation almost always follows the same pattern: skepticism first, adoption later.

Today, local television finds itself at another important crossroads. The next generation of media professionals expects modern workflows, real-time information and smarter systems. Meanwhile, competing platforms outside traditional broadcast continue moving faster, optimizing faster and evolving faster. The cost of hesitation is no longer just inconvenience — it risks competitiveness.

The future of local television will not belong to the companies with the most inventory or budgets. It will belong to the companies most willing to evolve.

That evolution does not require abandoning the human side of our business. Relationships, experience and market expertise still matter tremendously. But the companies and professionals that thrive in the next decade will be the ones willing to combine those strengths with modern technology instead of resisting it.

Technology alone will not save local television. People will. But those people must be willing to move forward — or out of the way.

Upfront Sports Market Advertising, Audience Scenarios

 

Commentary

Upfront Sports Market Advertising, Audience Scenarios

TelevisaUnivision, the Spanish-language TV-media company, is boosting its sports programming -- like every other legacy TV media company

This comes through leveraging sports' live high viewership, pulling in higher ad revenue with brands and advertisers.

Leveraging live sports viewership helps pull in higher ad revenue across a platform's wide-ranging content. But more focus should be placed on future younger audiences, especially for legacy-owned streaming platforms.

For TelevisaUnivision, think about its ViX streaming platform.

For its upfront presentation, the company is touting adding new soccer (European football) programming, with its first-ever deals for CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

These are South American nation focus competitions -- similar to Europe’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

This is in addition to CONCACAF's Gold Cup and Nations League, and an extension for Mexican National Team matches through 2034.

In addition, Univision will be airing the Super Bowl LXI -- in partnership with ESPN/ABC, which is airing the English-language version of the game. It will also have Formula 1 -- in a deal with Apple -- airing the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This comes a day after Amazon Prime Video talked up its efforts around more sports -- now currently airing its first new season with the NBA.

This adds to its strong “Thursday Night Football” series from the NFL. Prime Video also has new deals with NASCAR, the WNBA, Duke University sports, and the New York Yankees.

Amazon notes that “TNF” viewing audiences are seven years younger on Prime Video than on linear TV.

Amazon’s first season with the NBA? That is around nine years younger than linear. NASCAR? Five years younger.

Tanner Elton, vice president of U.S. ad sales for Amazon, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Sports is one of the most valuable medias that the brands are seeing, and we’re seeing this on Prime Video as well.”

So Amazon is not alone. Think NFL on Paramount+, Peacock, ESPN’s app, getting similar results. All that leverages even more brand appeal -- and engagement when it comes to buying.

Much of the focus has been on how sports have boosted and/or maintained legacy, linear TV networks, and less so on its streaming platforms -- especially if those sports events aren not exclusive on those streamers. Still this builds foundations for the future when it comes to younger audiences.

All this leaves us with the obvious question: What will those over-the-air networks look like five years from now?

Upfront Buzzwords Spike Interest: What Are The Real Meanings?

 

Commentary

Upfront Buzzwords Spike Interest: What Are The Real Meanings?

Has upfront messaging been clear this week -- what with keywords tossed around over and over again?

We’re thinking "business outcomes," "agentic AI" and "fandom."

Showing brands and advertisers more than ever that legacy TV media’s linear TV business, alongside growing streaming connected TV (CTV) platforms, has what it takes, is key.

The message is: We need to deliver more proven results for your media campaign.

That said, growing social media continues to be a challenge for legacy media, and according to many surveys will continue its nonstop growth. And come at the expense of linear TV, especially

What does linear TV/streaming have going for it? Increasingly, with both sides of the coin, perhaps?

High-impact, big-screen live content -- especially sports, for all the broad brand awareness that advertisers still seek, and that important lower-funnel stuff as well.

When it comes to live events and sports, more engaging messaging is key.

Brands that have not considered sports are doing that now, with the 2026 The FIFA World Cup to be aired by Fox Television Network, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox One, and Telemundo, Universo, Peacock.

Viewership is estimated to be at least 15 million for each match the U.S. team participates in.

Complexity in the market is heightened when it comes to figuring out which live events, sports, and other programming to get involved in.

Legacy TV networks and their associated streamers believe media agency and advertising executives are looking for help. This is where agentic AI comes in.

But do executives really want to give up control to AI when it comes to placement of their messaging -- or adjustments to creative, and even pricing?

Getting "outcomes" data is just the beginning. Increasingly it can be complex -- especially with different channels using different third-party measurement methods.

Now all a brand executive has to do is put together an overall picture to senior management to tell them what worked and what didn't. Good luck.

Perhaps AI agents are already taking that overview summary in that high-level management meeting.

Next year’s upfront week may find other catchy buzzwords to go deeper.

Monday, May 11, 2026

Broadcast TV’s Inefficiency Has Been Lucrative. Will DAI Change That?

 

TV News Check

Broadcast Industry News - Television, Cable, On-demand

Broadcast TV’s Inefficiency Has Been Lucrative. Will DAI Change That?

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Dynamic Ad Insertion in broadcast could be a threat to revenue or a path to growth.

At the NAB Show, I was speaking with the CEO of a broadcast company about bringing precision ad targeting and dynamic ad insertion (DAI) to local broadcast TV. They asked a simple but important question: Would this negatively impact revenues?

It’s a fair question and one I’ve heard repeatedly since mentioning DAI in a previous column. It’s worth taking a closer look.

For decades, broadcasters have benefited from a highly effective model: Sell mass reach, with limited inventory, at premium pricing. The same spot runs across a broad audience, supported by demographic targeting. That inefficiency reaching many viewers outside the intended target has been incredibly lucrative.

This model worked when television dominated audience share and advertisers had few viable alternatives. That world has changed. Today, there is an abundance of content, channels and platforms. Advertisers are increasingly shifting dollars toward environments where they can target specific audiences, measure outcomes and attribute performance. Much of that spend is flowing to streaming, digital and social platforms.

That said, I remain a strong believer in the power of linear TV. It still delivers scale in a way no other local medium can, and it continues to drive results for advertisers.

So, the question isn’t whether DAI disrupts the current model. It can. The real question is whether the risk of disruption outweighs the risk of doing nothing.

Let’s look at both sides.

The Benefits of Enabling DAI in Broadcast

1. Attracting New Advertisers — There are advertisers, particularly in larger DMAs, who avoid broadcast due to waste. A retailer in Tempe doesn’t necessarily want to pay for coverage across the entire Phoenix market. DAI enables geographic, demographic and behavioral targeting, opening the door to advertisers currently allocating budgets to CTV, digital and social.

2. Yield Optimization — DAI allows stations to extract greater value from lower-rated or lower-demand programming. Impression-based selling and audience targeting can improve monetization of inventory that might otherwise be discounted or filled with lower-value direct response ads.

3. Sales Flexibility — Broadcast’s strength is reach. DAI adds the ability to layer precision. Advertisers can choose between broad campaigns, targeted campaigns or a hybrid of both depending on their objectives.

4. Messaging Power — DAI enables sequential messaging at the household level, allowing advertisers to tell a story over time rather than relying on a single exposure.

5. Higher CPM Potential — Targeted inventory typically commands higher CPMs, assuming sufficient demand and fill rates.

6. Retargeting Capabilities — Retargeting is central to performance advertising. Bringing this capability into broadcast creates new relevance for advertisers focused on conversion.

7. Frequency Management — Advertisers gain better control over how often their message is seen, improving effectiveness and reducing waste.

8. Future-Proofing the Business — As advertising investment shifts toward performance and outcomes, DAI ensures broadcast remains competitive for retail media, performance budgets and data-driven campaigns.

9. Improved Measurement and Attribution — This is a critical addition. DAI creates the opportunity to align broadcast with impression-based measurement and attribution models that advertisers increasingly demand.

The Concerns

1. Loss of Scarcity and Stature — Broadcast risks becoming “just another impression,” potentially eroding the premium associated with broad reach.

2. Inventory Fragmentation — If a meaningful percentage of impressions are allocated to DAI, the value of broad-based program delivery could be diluted.

3. Fill Rate Risk — CTV has shown that more granular targeting can lead to lower fill rates in non-premium environments. Broadcasters must avoid creating unsold inventory through over-fragmentation.

4. Political Revenue Impact — This is significant. Broadcast’s inefficiency has been particularly lucrative in political advertising. DAI could allow campaigns to target only relevant zones or congressional districts, potentially reducing total spend.

5. Sales Resistance — Sales teams are compensated on total revenue. Selling broad market coverage is simpler and often more lucrative under current commission structures. Change will require sales leadership adoption and retraining.

6. Operational Complexity — DAI introduces new requirements data partnerships, identity resolution, privacy compliance, ad decisioning systems and workflow integration. This is not a plug-and-play transition.

From my view, the benefits far outweigh the concerns.

Broadcast’s inefficiency was valuable when it controlled scarcity. Today, advertisers have options. With CTV, they can reach audiences with precision, measure performance and optimize in real time across multiple platforms. As that becomes the standard, inefficiency becomes harder to defend.

The greater risk may not be revenue disruption from adopting DAI but revenue erosion from failing to compete.

A smarter path forward would likely be a hybrid model. The opportunity is not to replace broad reach with targeting. That would be a mistake. The opportunity is to combine them. Preserve premium inventory, news, sports, prime time and major tentpole events for reach-based selling. These remain uniquely valuable.

Then open portions of lower-demand inventory, daytime, latenight, weekends and select programming to DAI. Use this inventory for targeted direct sales and programmatic demand.

This balance will vary by market, network and station. Over time, AI-driven optimization can help manage yield dynamically, allocating inventory based on demand and pricing conditions to provide the best audience match for advertisers while managing rate integrity for broadcasters.

DAI, implemented thoughtfully, does not weaken broadcast. It expands by allowing broadcasters to move from a single-product model with mass reach to a multi-dimensional offering. 

This offering then becomes the ultimate competitive advantage for broadcasters: broadcast reach + local trust + valued live content + precision targeting + measurable outcomes. No other media has this combination at the local level, and this will be a game changer for broadcast TV.