How Did The Automakers That Advertised In The Big Game Do?

Wondering which automotive ad fared the best in this year's Super Bowl when it came to engaging viewers?  Cars.com says it measured traffic to its website following commercials aired by BMW, Kia, Toyota and VW during the game. Its researchers say VW's ad "An American Love Story" won the competition with a 394% spike in traffic on its website following the ad's airing.   The commercial is a nostalgic tour of the VW's 75-year history in America as well as the brand's first national Super Bowl spot in 10 years.

While VW's ad saw the biggest spike in traffic on the Cars.com site,  researchers say each brand that debuted a product during the game saw a triple-digit bump in traffic on the Cars.com marketplace. 

“The biggest sports event of the year is a huge opportunity for brands to capture the attention — and spur action — from an engaged viewing audience. At Cars.com, the results are tangible,” said Jennifer Vianello, Cars.com’s chief marketing officer. “We’ve regularly seen automakers receive double-, even triple-digit traffic bumps on Cars.com after their ad airs during the game — and this year was no different. Consumers are looking for a trusted and unbiased destination to shop and research what they saw during the game, and Cars.com offers that.”

While each automaker that aired an ad saw traffic increases to its overall brand pages on Cars.com, the specific vehicle models featured in each commercial also saw large spikes in traffic, showing consumers were sprinting to Cars.com to learn more about those rides:

• Kia’s all-new EV9, an electric three-row SUV, saw a 2,497% boost in traffic after its ad aired. Cars.com recently reviewed the EV9, and with high praise.
• Used Volkswagen Microbuses and Beetles, which were prominently highlighted during Volkswagen’s evolutionary ad, saw a 4,020% and 1,307% lift in traffic, respectively, after airing. The ID. Buzz is coming to dealer lots in 2024, and it will be interesting to see if it makes an appearance in next year’s Big Game.
• Toyota’s New Tacoma pickup truck, the focus of Toyota’s ad, received a 1,223%increase in traffic after airing.
• BMW’s New 5 Series cars saw a 1,008% lift in traffic after the humorous, celebrity-driven ad hit screens. While the i5 Series is still new to the marketplace, it also saw a bump in traffic.

For its analysis, Cars.com says it analyzed site traffic patterns for advertised car model pages during the eight minutes before each spot aired and again eight minutes after. 

Photo Credit:  Volkswagen.