Ford and General Motors used to be mainstays of Super Bowl ads, but no more

Among the ~60 advertisers vying for the attention of the 128 million average Super Bowl viewers, a once dominant player was largely absent: car brands. This year, only one showed up: Jeep, with a two-minute cinematic ad starring Harrison Ford behind the wheel of a Wrangler.

The four carmakers that ran commercials last year (Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, and Kia) pulled back altogether.

This retreat isn’t new — automakers’ share of Super Bowl ad screen time has been shrinking for years, according to TV ad measurement firm iSpot.tv. After roaring back postrecession, carmakers like Ford poured record sums into Super Bowl ads in 2011 and 2012, producing some of the most iconic commercials in history and commanding ~40% of all Super Bowl ad time. Last year, that share had dwindled to 8%, and this year it dropped even further, to just 7%.

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