Every year, automakers spend millions to advertise their new models during the Super Bowl, but does the inflated cost of air space actually translate into increased sales? Not always, according to a new report from CarWoo! that analyzed the interest in specific brands and models in the days immediately following the 2012 Super Bowl. Some brands saw massive increases, while others fell short, proving once again that even if you’ve got a multi-million-dollar budget, advertising still isn’t an exact science.
Chevrolet came out on top this year, experiencing a 61 per cent increase in buyer interest over and above the industry average, followed by Chrysler at 26 per cent, Toyota at 25 per cent, Kia at 20 per cent, Hyundai at 9 per cent and Cadillac at 6 per cent. Check out CarWoo!’s infographic for more details.
Though the winner overall, Chevrolet’s ad campaign was far from a slam dunk. Chevrolet placed ads for four of its cars — the Sonic, the Camaro, the Silverado and the Volt — and won big with the Sonic, which experienced a 292 per cent increase in interest. (Check out the Sonic ad here.)
The Volt, however, saw no increase at all, despite its pithy alien-themed ad. See the ad for yourself here.
The Silverado received a 76 per cent increase in interest, but also managed to pass off some consumer interest to its main competitor. In the apocalypse-themed commercial, a man drives a Silverado through a ruined city to reunite with his friends, only to be grimly informed that another pal didn’t make it. “Dave didn’t drive the longest-lasting, most dependable car on the road,” someone says. “Dave drove a Ford.” See the ad here.
The jab backfired, though, because interest in Ford F-series trucks increased by 37 per cent, even though Ford didn’t advertise.
Other automakers that fell flat include Acura, Audi, Fiat, Honda, Lexus and Volkswagen; none saw any increase in interest at all, not even Honda, whose CR-V commercial featured Matthew Broderick and a high-production-value spoof on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Check it out here.
