The Stickiest Ads on TV in 2017
Between 8-10 Billion TV ads appear on screens across America every single day, but with all that noise, is anyone actually paying attention? In an effort to find out, we dug into data provided by iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from more than seven million smart TVs. Within iSpot.tv’s impressive measurement capabilities is something called an Attention Index. This index measures viewer proclivity to switch away from each brand, industry and creative’s placement, compared to the average for each category. For example, if a spot has an Attention Index of 139, that means the spot is interrupted 39% less than average for the measured category. If the attention score, however, was 61, that would mean the ad is interrupted 39% more often than average. While it’s not easy to crown a winner on a subjective basis, such as the funniest or most entertaining ad of the year, with this amazing index we’re now able to measure attention to individual ads against each other and crown a winner based on data!Below are the Top 5 ‘stickiest’ ads on TV in 2017 (with at least $1 million spent on placements) - in other words, ads that ran often with the highest attention paid to them.#5: Colonial Penn - Family ReunionColonial Penn’s ‘Family Reunion’ spot featuring Alex Trebek ran 807 times on TV in 2017, and generated 34.6 million TV ad impressions while still maintaining an impressive 174 attention index. Colonial Penn focused these placements on programming like Little House on the Prairie, M*A*S*H and the Waltons.
#4: Xbox - So Much DeathXbox’s ‘So Much Death’ ad is the fourth stickiest of the year, amassing 31.1 Million TV ad impressions in under 2 months of airings at the beginning of 2017. Through 121 placements, which ran exclusively on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, the brand maintained a 174 attention index, with 44.6% of the viewing population under the age of 34.
#3: Sandals Resorts - Over the WaterSandals Resorts landed in third place this year, maintaining a 174 attention index on the back of 206.7 Million TV ad impressions. While running most often on shows like CNN Tonight with Don Lemon and Hannity, Sandals placed this spot 680 times in 2017. The vast majority of these views, 74.8%, came from live or same-day viewing.
#2: Stitch Fix - The Perfect JeansStitch Fix’s “The Perfect Jeans”, like Xbox, ran exclusively in the first quarter of 2017. Featuring music by Escort, this spot ran 480 times on national TV and generated 61.9 Million TV ad impressions. Although spreading the placements across 25 networks, Stitch Fix prioritized HGTV, TLC and Investigation Discovery.
#1: Hulu - OriginalsThe stickiest ad of the year title for 2017 goes to Hulu, with its ‘Originals’ spot, featuring music by Major Lazer. Focused on all the original content the platform released in 2017, Originals ran 815 times on TV in 2017, and generated an impressive 107.2 Million TV ad impressions - all while maintaining the best Attention Index of the year - 175. Hulu ran the bulk of these ads during NBA Basketball, Modern Family, and the Situation Room, on networks such as TNT, ESPN and ABC.