Super Bowl Ads Effective for Chevrolet, Mini, Kia, and VW

Chevrolet, Mini, Kia and Volkswagen had the best return on investment among the ten automakers advertising during the 2011 Super Bowl, according to data just released by publisher Hachette Filipacchi.

A six week study conducted before and after the Super Bowl was based on traffic on 14 automotive websites. The study looked at the estimated price each manufacturer paid for every percent in share gained in shopping consideration for a new vehicle.

The analysis assumed $2.8 – $3.0 million per 30-seconds of Super Bowl in-game air time, and did not look at the all important conversion of consideration into an actual sale. 

According to the results from Jumpstart Automotive Group:

• Chevrolet spent the lowest amount for every percent of market share gained at approximately $65,000 for its Silverado pickup truck;  $78,000 for its Volt, with an average increase in share among car shoppers of 46% and 39%, respectively.
• Mini spent approximately $68,000 for every percent of market share gained, with an average increase in share among car shoppers of 44% for its Countryman.
• Kia spent approximately $81,000 for every percent of market share gained for its Optima, while experiencing the highest average increase in share among car shoppers at 74%. During last year’s Super Bowl, Kia spent the lowest amount of approximately $255,000 for every market share gained for its Sorento.
• Volkswagen rounded out the top five at approximately $104,000 for every percent of market share gained, with an average increase in share among car shoppers of 42% for its Beetle. “

The overriding theme is that, during our extended analysis including pre- and post-Super Bowl metrics, this year’s big game ads have had an enduring effect on automotive shopping growth for a handful of vehicles,” said Joe Kyriakoza, Jumpstart’s Vice President of Product and Performance Strategy. “While most of the manufacturers experienced a positive ROI against their investment, Chevy, Mini, Kia and Volkswagen significantly outdistanced the rest of the pack. The automotive vertical was crowded with 15 different vehicle messages throughout the game, so it’s not unusual that only a third of them would break through.”

Jumpstart’s 14 automotive websites include Vehix, Consumer Guide Automotive, JD Power Autos, Shopping.com Autos, Car and Driver, Road & Track, CarSoup.com, U.S.News Automotive Rankings and Reviews, HybridCars, Plug-inCars, CarGurus, TrueCar, Overstock Cars and Leftlane.