Edmunds.com Reports on Automakers’ Top 2010 Super Bowl Commercials: Hyundai, Audi and Kia Traffic Soar

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, has noted a significant boost in site traffic for Hyundai, Audi and Kia since the automakers’ advertising ran during yesterday’s Super Bowl.

“Hyundai’s marketing team seems to believe that they need to make big splashes to be considered a major player. And, I must admit, their efforts – and those of their product planners – are working, because the company’s image and its market share are growing at an impressive clip.”

Hyundai ran the most ads during the Super Bowl of any car company, and enjoyed the most benefit. Traffic to Edmunds.com pages featuring the new Hyundai Sonata was up 594 percent compared to the average Sunday in January. There were also increases in traffic for the 2010 Hyundai Tucson (123 percent) and the 2010 Hyundai Genesis (72 percent).

“This is yet another major event in which Hyundai achieved major Web site traffic gains through expensive ad placements,” noted Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs, who recalled recent Super Bowls and Academy Award advertising analysis in the company’s AutoObserver.com report at http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/02/big-boost-for-hyundai-audi-from-super-bowl-ads.html. “Hyundai’s marketing team seems to believe that they need to make big splashes to be considered a major player. And, I must admit, their efforts – and those of their product planners – are working, because the company’s image and its market share are growing at an impressive clip.”

Here are some other Web site traffic boosts that resulted from automakers’ top 2010 Superbowl commercials:

• After the Audi Green Police ad ran, traffic to the 2010 Audi A8 pages climbed 127 percent while traffic to the 2010 Audi Q5 Hybrid jumped 64 percent.
• Traffic to the 2011 Kia Sorento rose 142 percent thanks to its “Joy Ride” spot.
• A multi-model ad called “Punch Dub” generated a 73 percent lift in traffic for the 2010 Volkswagen GTI and a 62 percent lift for the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg.
• Traffic to the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour jumped 48 percent thanks to one spot called “Squirrel/Roominess.”
• The 2010 Dodge Charger gained a 26 percent increase in traffic after the airing of one spot called “Man’s Last Stand.”
• Traffic to the 2010 Acura ZDX rose 4 percent after its “Exclamation” ad aired.

“Audi's 'Green Police' commercial – the standout auto ad, in my opinion – was witty on many levels, but provoked more than laughs because it dared to satirize what typically is a sacrosanct subject: the environmental movement. Sensitive ground for an automaker to tread, but Audi - and its agency, Venables Bell & Partners - pulled it off artfully and light-heartedly,” noted Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com Senior Editor Bill Visnic in his commentary on the automakers’ Super Bowl ads at http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/02/commentary-audi-green-police-slays-in-super-bowl-ad-wars.html.

About Edmunds.com Inc. (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/)

Edmunds.com Inc. publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. CarSpace is an automotive social networking Web site. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.