Big Game Sees Half the Number of Automakers Advertising Compared to Last Year, Yet Car Shoppers Still Flock to Cars.com for Validation After Viewing Top Auto Commercials

GM’s Ad on Electric Vehicles Causes Triple Digit Surge to its EV Models on Cars.com, Prompts Overall EV Searches on the Marketplace to Increase 77% 

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2021 —  Besides Tampa Bay, this year’s big winner was Cadillac with its Edward-Scissorhands-inspired commercial that led to a 194% traffic bump to its respective branded pages on Cars.com™ (NYSE: CARS), a leading digital automotive marketplace and solutions provider.1 GM also saw triple-digit traffic increases to its EV pages on the marketplace while Jeep came in third place at a whopping 93% lift from car-shopping football fans. Overall, auto brands’ Big Game commercials drove a 38% average increase in Cars.com site pageviews as football fans multitasked during the game and sought the marketplace’s trusted third-party input to aid them on their shopping journey. 

“This year’s Big Game saw 50% less OEM advertisers compared to last year, likely due to overall sports viewership down all season,” said Brooke Skinner Ricketts, chief experience officer of Cars.com. “Some automakers favored more targeted, efficient digital media advertising on Cars.com around the Big Game to better reach the millions of active car shoppers who choose our marketplace as a critical destination to research, read reviews and connect with local dealers. As automotive brands continue to focus on this valuable in-market shopper audience, Cars.com is a leading platform for marketers who prioritize impact and efficiency.”

For those brands that opted for a big ticket TV commercial during the game, some ads sparked more action from car shoppers than others. When Will Ferrell portrayed holding a grudge against Norway for the country’s electric vehicle adoption in GM’s comedic commercial, Cars.com saw a 169% increase in consumers flocking to GM’s EV pages to discover more about the automaker’s EV models. In addition, the commercial triggered a 77% increase in total EV searches on Cars.com during the game and a 41% increase for used Hummers. 

Visits to other featured brands’ pages peaked, too:

-93% - Jeep’s ‘The Middle’ featuring Bruce Springsteen 

-13% - Toyota’s Jessica Long story 

-157% - Ford Mach-E, aired in select local markets

Cars.com analyzed site traffic patterns to advertised car model pages during the eight minutes before each spot aired and again eight minutes after.

For more reviews, car-buying advice and tips, visit Cars.com/news.

1Cars.com Internal Data

About CARS

CARS is a leading digital marketplace and solutions provider for the automotive industry that connects car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources, and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn, and gain market share.

In addition to Cars.com, CARS companies include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences, FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com’s pure audience of in-market car shoppers, and DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform.

The full suite of CARS properties include Cars.com™, Dealer Inspire®, DealerRater®, FUEL™, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com™ and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.

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