Jumpstart Automotive Group: Fiat 500, Chevrolet Sonic and Lexus GS See Biggest Return on 2012 Super Bowl Advertising Investment

Post-game analysis highlights automotive advertisers making biggest impact on car shoppers for average price paid in Super Bowl advertising.

SAN FRANCISCO--()--Jumpstart Automotive Group, an expert automotive marketing organization, today released its third annual Super Bowl Automotive Advertising ROI Study. The study, conducted in the weeks following the big game, highlights the automotive brands making the biggest impact on car shoppers for the average price spent in 2012 Super Bowl advertising, with Fiat 500, Chevrolet Sonic and Lexus GS coming out on top.

The Jumpstart study evaluated pre-Super Bowl versus post-Super Bowl share of car shopper growth across the company’s network of automotive websites, representing 14 million monthly visitors, coupled with the reported average cost of $3.5 million spent on a 30 second in-game commercial.

Following are key highlights:

  • Fiat 500, Chevrolet Sonic and Lexus GS grew in car shopper share 87 percent, 86 percent and 84 percent respectively across Jumpstart’s network, the highest three week growth of all makes and models advertised.
  • The growth rates Fiat, Chevrolet and Lexus realized in the weeks following the game pale in comparison to increases generated immediately following the game, when Acura NSX, Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Sonic saw increases of 479 percent, 249 percent and 182 percent respectively.
          Advertiser and Spot Name          

Average 3-Week Growth
in Share of Shoppers

 

Fiat 500 Abarth “Seduction”

          87%

Chevrolet Sonic “Stunt Anthem”

86%
  Lexus GS “The Beast”           84%
 

“Super Bowl advertising hype, which usually piques immediate interest, tends to wear off within two to three weeks,” said Libby Murad-Patel, head of Jumpstart’s Strategic Insights division. “That’s why we evaluate post-Super Bowl performance over a period of weeks. Certain campaigns do better than others at resonating with shoppers to maintain significant growth rates – over time and after the hype.”

  • Most expensive media buys went to the Honda CR-V (“Matthew’s Day Off” with Matthew Broderick), Chrysler (“Halftime in America” with Clint Eastwood) and the Acura NSX (“Transactions” with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno) with total spend ranging from over $13 million to nearly $17 million for this year’s Super Bowl spots.
  • Of the group investing the most, the Acura NSX has had the highest three week growth, increasing 36 percent in car shopper share, followed by Chrysler at 7 percent and Honda CR-V which actually decreased 7 percent.
          Advertiser and Spot Name          

Estimated 2012 Super Bowl
Advertising Expense (in millions)

  Honda CR-V “Matthew's Day Off”           $16.9
Chrysler “Halftime in America” $14.1
  Acura NSX “Transactions”           $13.1
 
  • Lexus achieved maximum ROI for its first Super Bowl appearance, garnering an 84 percent increase in share of shoppers over three weeks while achieving the lowest price per share gained at $42,000.
  • The Fiat 500 Abarth spent an estimated $81,000 per share of shopper interest gained while the Chevrolet Sonic spent an estimated $82,000 per share. Another noteworthy mention went to the Hyundai Elantra “Victory Lap” commercial which achieved a 37 percent increase in share of shoppers with an estimated $94,000 spent per share.
          Advertiser and Spot Name          

Approximate Price per % of
Share Gained (in thousands)

  Lexus GS “The Beast”           $42
Fiat 500 Abarth “Seduction” $81
Chevrolet Sonic “Stunt Anthem” $82
  Hyundai Elantra “Victory Lap”           $94
 

To read the study in full, visit http://www.jumpstartautomotivegroup.com/case_studies/2012-super-bowl-roi-analysis. To read other studies or to learn more about Jumpstart’s analytics capabilities, data and insights, visit JumpstartAuto.com/case_studies or contact Libby Murad-Patel of Jumpstart Strategic Insights division at lmurad@jumpstartauto.com. Follow Jumpstart on Twitter @JumpstartAuto (http://twitter.com/#!/JumpstartAuto)

About Jumpstart Automotive Group

Jumpstart Automotive Group, a Hearst Media Services company, is an expert automotive marketing organization. It represents the broadest and most diverse audience of in-market car shoppers and influencers across 15 automotive websites that include Vehix, Consumer Guide Automotive, JD Power Autos, Shopping.com Autos, Car and Driver, Road & Track, CarSoup, U.S.News Autos, HybridCars, CarGurus, TrueCar, PlugInCars, Overstock Cars, Leftlane and EveryCarListed. Fueled by a passion for performance, Jumpstart Automotive Group is committed to the development of quality content and services for consumers and to maximizing publisher revenue and advertiser results through innovative products and services. Jumpstart is at the forefront of behavioral targeting, research and strategic insights products. For more information, visit JumpstartAuto.com.

Contacts

Jumpstart Automotive Group
Jennifer Lange, 949-916-4820
jlange@getsplashmedia.com

Release Summary

Jumpstart Automotive Group, with its third annual Super Bowl Advertising ROI Study, highlights the brands making the biggest impact on car shoppers for the average price spent in 2012 Super Bowl ads.

Contacts

Jumpstart Automotive Group
Jennifer Lange, 949-916-4820
jlange@getsplashmedia.com