The electric vehicle (EV) market continues to boom as supply chain issues continue to plague the auto industry and gas prices continue to soar. The category’s popularity is particularly reflected in auto ads aired during live sports this year — and during the NFL in particular.
Last NFL season, automakers such as Polestar, Kia, and Nissan chose to showcase their latest EV models in Super Bowl LVI, and EDO has seen the trend in powerful EV spots continue at the onset of the 2022 season. In fact, through week 2, EDO saw EV spots perform 46% better than non-EV spots during NFL football programming.
One-third of Mercedes-Benz’s spots and all of Chevy’s spots during the first two weeks of the NFL season were focused on electric vehicles. Nearly 75% of Jeep’s spots promoted their Freedom Electrified offer. Hummer aired its CrabWalk ad featuring LeBron James three times, and Hyundai promoted its IONIQ 5.
Out of the group, Mercedes-Benz and Chevrolet have seen the most EV airings in the NFL so far this season. Mercedes-Benz’s NFL ads through week 2 have performed 207% better than the average auto brand, while Chevrolet’s have performed 77% better.
Mercedes-Benz
NFL viewers have been over three times more likely to search for Mercedes-Benz after seeing the brand’s New Dimensions EV spot than they were to search the average auto brand during NFL programming.
The impact of Mercedes-Benz’s NFL football campaign far outstrips advertising on regular platforms. For example, Mercedes-Benz would need to air an estimated 102 ads during primetime broadcast and cable to generate the same impact as one airing during NFL Football so far.
Chevrolet
Chevrolet’s EV spot promoting the All-Electric Chevy Equinox is having a significant impact on TV viewers.
Viewers were 143% more likely to search for Chevrolet after seeing the EV ad than after seeing a Chevrolet ad during primetime broadcast and cable programs. This means that Chevrolet would need to air an estimated 75 ads during primetime broadcast and cable programming to generate the same impact as one ad during NFL Football.
The popularity of ads featuring EVs suggests those car brands that don’t embrace EVs risk being left behind. As auto supply-chain issues continue and charging infrastructure continues to expand, EVs are an increasingly viable option for consumers.
Optimizing auto ad performance
Determining which networks, programs, and creatives are the most effective in driving consumer engagement for your brand and category is challenging. EDO delivers real-time insights across linear and streaming TV, so you can make informed decisions about where to invest your money — and how to outperform the competition.
TV advertising is a powerful way to reach potential customers, and our real-time incremental engagement and outcome analytics can give you the insights you need to make data-driven decisions about your media buys.
Find the latest industry intelligence and data insights in EDO’s Know What Works newsletter. Sign up now.