Jumpstart Automotive Media, a leading media, insights, and marketing solutions company, today released its annual Super Bowl report, which reveals the auto brands that drove the greatest traffic increases across its portfolio of publishers. This year, the Kia Stinger saw the greatest lift in shopper interest as a result of its “Feel Something Again” spot featuring Steven Tyler.

Super Bowl LII, which registered 103.4 million viewers, saw advertising from several car brands during pre-game, the halftime show, and the game itself, including Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Lexus, Ram, Jeep, and Mercedes-Benz. 

Top Performers In Super Bowl LII

Kia “Feel Something Again” (Third Quarter)

Kia’s “Feel Something Again” spot for its Stinger produced the largest increase in visitors during its peak (after the ad aired) compared to its average visitors throughout the game. In comparison to the four Sundays prior, the Stinger’s share of interest on Jumpstart was up 238%, and the Stinger jumped 43 spots, ranking as the 12th most-viewed vehicle on Super Bowl Sunday. In fact, two minutes after the spot aired in the third quarter of the game, 46% of Jumpstart’s audience was viewing the Stinger, and it held three of the top 10 pages. Lastly, 88% of Stinger traffic was from smartphones, 7% on desktop, and 5% on tablet.

Lexus “Long Live The King” (Third Quarter)

The Lexus “Long Live The King” spot in the third quarter drove shopper interest for LS up by 103% compared to the prior four weeks. Two minutes after the ad aired, nearly one in five individuals on Jumpstart were viewing the Lexus LS. Although the spot featured the LS, the LC also came into top pages and keyword searches after the ad aired and LS500 held three of the top 10 pages for ten minutes straight.

RAM 1500: “Icelandic Vikings” (First Quarter) and “Greatness” (Second Quarter)

At first glance, traffic spikes for the RAM 1500 didn’t appear to be as strong as Kia and Lexus, however RAM may have seen the most success of any brand due to more sustained traffic increases. The 1500 was the 2nd most-viewed model on Super Bowl Sunday (ahead of the F-150), and interest in the vehicle was up 147% in comparison to the four Sundays prior. Furthermore, 2019 RAM 1500 model pages entered the top 10 most-active pages two minutes after the spot aired. Lastly, 86% of this traffic was on smartphones, 8% on desktop, and 5% on tablet.

Mercedes AMG “Off The Line” (Pre-Game Advertiser)

Despite not having a primetime spot during the game, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S’ spot, “Off The Line,” drove a 2% increase in shopper interest on Super Bowl Sunday, moving it up 18 spots among all models shopped on Jumpstart sites. The E63 AMG and AMG S also ranked among the top-five models for nine minutes straight at one point during the evening.

Other Notable Data Points:

• Even though Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee did see short-term success during the Super Bowl, neither were as long-lived as RAM; both vehicles were down in shopper interest overall on Super Bowl Sunday by 21% and 2%, respectively.
• From an overall brand perspective, the 1500 helped RAM to gain 105% in shopper interest on Super Bowl Sunday, and similarly, the Stinger pushed Kia traffic ahead by 23%.  
• Hyundai’s ad campaign, “Hope Comes Standard” may have helped Kia more than it helped Hyundai as the Stinger saw another spike when the Hyundai spot aired.
• The percentage of Jumpstart’s audience visiting model pages from a smartphone was up 8% on Super Bowl Sunday (in comparison to the four Sundays prior), while desktop and tablet visitors were each down 13%.

“As is the case with previous Super Bowls, the automotive industry was well-represented before, during, and after the game Sunday evening,” said Libby Murad-Patel, vice president marketing and strategic insights for Jumpstart. “This year’s ad spots had a mix of brand alignments, emotion, nostalgia, and entertainment, but the brands that saw the most success were those that really showcased the vehicle’s performance. They did a fantastic job driving increased shopper interest among both in-market shoppers and car enthusiasts alike.”

About Jumpstart

Jumpstart Automotive Media, a division of Hearst Autos, offers high-impact and performance-driven marketing and advertising solutions that achieve optimum results. An industry thought-leader known for its in-depth shopping reports, Jumpstart connects automotive marketers with the largest, high-performing audience of car shoppers and enthusiasts through partnerships with: Car and Driver, U.S. News Best Cars, J.D. Power Cars, NADAguides, Autoweek.com, Autobytel, Autolist.com, Daily News Autos, LeftLaneNews.com, CarSoup, CarBuzz, CarStory, and VehicleHistory.com.

JumpstartAuto.com, @JumpstartAuto