AUTOMOTIVE

Automotive National TV Spending Dips 18% In June

• by Tanya Gazdik , July 16, 2023

Automotive national TV spending declined 18.1% in June despite big sports buys, per iSpot.tv. 

The estimated national TV spending by automakers was $128.7 million, compared to $157.2 million in June 2022. Impressions for the month rose 7% to 27.9 billion, up from 26.1 billion in June 2022.

The top five brands by estimate national TV ad spend were Lexus ($12.8 million), Kia ($12.7 million), Chevrolet ($11.7 million), Toyota ($10.6 million) and Nissan ($8.9 million).

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions for the month were: Alfa Romeo: Our Heritage (3.22%); Chevrolet: Stay Connected, Safe and Charged (2.72%); Ram Trucks: For Every Season (2.35%); Subaru: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Loves to Care (1.99%); and Subaru: The Results Are In (1.78%).

Lexus upped its estimated June national TV ad investment by 19.2% year-over-year, with a notable 88% YoY increase in outlay during the U.S. Open Golf Championship.

Meanwhile, Kia decreased its estimated national TV ad spend about 7.4% year-over-year, but spent more with specific programs like "The Big Bang Theory" (up 34.7%) and "America’s Funniest Home Videos" (up 241%). Chevrolet focused its June 2023 outlay toward the NBA Finals and the U.S. Open (the brand did not spend during the 2022 U.S. Open), per iSpot.tv.

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions in June 2023 were Chevrolet (10.12%), Lexus (8.02%), Toyota (7.97%), Hyundai (7.12%) and Kia (5.95%).

“The summer months are crucial for automakers between summer sales and moving as much 2023 inventory as possible before 2024 vehicle pushes begin in earnest,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president, media partnerships at iSpot.tv, tells Marketing Daily. “June showcased how auto marketers are utilizing a combination of premium sporting events, news and more Spanish-language programs to continue to find ad reach.”

The biggest estimated spend increases among top 15 brands by spend, June 2023 vs. June 2022 were Alfa Romeo, which did not spend at all last June. Other increases were Mercedes-Benz (+91.33%), Dodge (+ 32.0%), Lexus (+19.15%) and Chevrolet (+13.99%).

Alfa Romeo, which has advertised minimally on national TV in recent years, burst on the scene in June with a spend of $6.2 million around a single spot promoting the Tonale, per iSpot.tv.

Although reality programming was the top overall genre by spend for Alfa Romeo (about 14%), SportsCenter was the No. 1 program (about 4%). 

Mercedes-Benz’s year-over-year June spend increase is due in part to the U.S. Open Golf Championship, which comprised nearly 20% of the brand’s total outlay for the month (it did not spend during the 2022 event). 

The brand also upped its investment in the news genre by almost 200% year-over-year, with "Jesse Watters Primetime" as the top news program by June spend and the No. 2 program overall for outlay (the U.S. Open was No. 1). 

The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions in June 2023 were NBA (2.23%), 2023 U.S. Open Golf Championship (1.46%), SportsCenter (0.90%), MLB (0.90%) and 2023 Men's College World Series (0.65%).

In June, NBA games accounted for the most automaker TV ad impressions for the third straight month, and brands focused impressions on other sporting events as well, per iSpot.tv.

Automotive brands increased TV ad impressions by 72.2% during the U.S. Open compared to June 2022, and Men’s College World Series ad impressions grew by 58.2% year-over-year.

The top networks for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions for June 2023 were ABC (3.75%), NBC (3.15%), ESPN (2.71%), Fox News (1.86%) and Univision (1.68%), per iSpot.tv.

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Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.