Cash for Clunkers: A boon for the TV ad market?

It’s hard to determine how many additional ad dollars the government’s Cash for Clunkers program has put into the system, but TNS Media Intelligence data appears to indicate that despite some extreme spikes in volume, the overall number of thirty-second auto ads on TV hasn’t risen this past two months.

TNS has looked at how many ads were placed between July and August 16 against a baseline of the average weekly number of auto ads in local and national TV placed during May and June. The Cash for Clunkers program looks like it has simply shifted ad dollars into an earlier period. (Strong demand at key periods, however, may have pushed up ad pricing.)

TV stations saw a three-week spike between July 12 and August 2 and a 25% higher volume than the baseline period between May and June. The average number of thirty-second ads running in spot during that period was 133,313, with demand spiking the week of July 20 to 202,223 and falling back the first week of August. Over the two-month period the average number of auto ads across July and August was 134,693, not much of an improvement over the baseline prior.

In national TV, the number of thirty-second auto ads during the baseline period was 9,056. The average number of auto ads airing on national TV between July and August 16 was 9,024.

Heres the TNS chart, showing how many ads ran and where — and again, the number of ads doesn’t equate to ad revenue, but its a good indicator of overall demand from the all important auto sector.

Were hoping the local station group euphoria translates into additional third quarter ad dollars.