TV’s evolution continued apace in Q3 2022. However, amid that change came some of what you may expect: The NFL and college football dominated TV ad impressions. QSR, insurance and automaker brands were among the most-seen industries. Audiences liked ad creatives that included pets and comedic celebrity performances.
But there were plenty of new and unique trends during Q3 as well. Cable news continued to climb to account for nearly 23% of TV ad impressions. Legal services ad impressions surged over 300% year-over-year. Charles Barkley was TV’s most-seen spokesperson (thanks to campaigns for Capital One and Subway). And TV ad impressions and est. national TV ad spend only dipped 5% year-over-year, even without the Summer Olympics and NBA Finals – which both took place in Q3 last year.
Our latest TV advertising report explores those and other key storylines from Q3, highlighting top brands, spots, networks, industries and more while digging into what’s to come in Q4 and beyond.
For the most complete recap of the last quarter in TV advertising, download iSpot’s Q3 TV Advertising Rundown today.
Reality TV’s Primetime Play
During summer’s typical downtime for scripted shows and most live sports, reality TV and competition shows filled the void for networks and advertisers. The genre accounted for five of the top 10 primetime programs of Q3 by share of ad impressions, led by Big Brother at 8.49%. Even more, each of those reality programs managed to grow its share compared to Q3 2021 – in part due to advantageous schedule adjustments.
For each of the Big 4 broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC), reality programs delivered at least 24% of primetime TV ad impressions. CBS led the way there with over 58% of primetime ad impressions coming from reality shows (primarily Big Brother).
Which Brands Made a Leap?
Though many of TV’s top advertisers are consistently among the most-seen brands, there are still opportunities for upstarts to make moves. And when it comes to Q3, NFL programming becomes the perfect place for many advertisers to make a splash by unveiling new creatives to TV’s largest live audience.
Brands including Indeed (up 23 spots), Amazon (up 19), Arby’s (up 37) and Google Pixel (up 80) made some of the biggest jumps in share of Q3 TV ad impression rankings year-over-year. All were absent from the top 20 in Q3 2021, yet made big climbs comparatively, with Indeed hopping all the way to No. 4 thanks in part to an emphasis on cable news (38% of its TV ad impressions).
Barking Up the Right Tree
What’s more likable than puppies? Not much, according to iSpot Creative Assessment survey respondents. Looking at the top-scoring Q3 TV ads by likeability, dogs seemed to win the day. PetSmart’s “10,000,000 Adoptions” and Hyundai’s “Chewy” both scored in the 100th percentile for likeability with pup-centric spots.
It was heartfelt and universal messages that put PetSmart over the top while calling attention to National Pet Adoption Day. For Hyundai, the relationship between a man and his dog resonated most, with 31% of survey respondents deeming the two characters the Single Best Thing about the ad.