Lexus, which last night advertised its RC 350 during Super Bowl XLIX's third quarter, saw searches on Kelley Blue Book's website skyrocket by 1,820 percent for that model. While we gave the car brand a thumbs-down review, the 30-second spot proved effective at creating a big spurt of lead generation at KBB.com, where consumers can request dealer quotes.
It turned out to be a good night for luxury models. BMW (1,131 percent hike) and Mercedes-Benz (950 percent) were on Lexus' heels, seeing big gains for Blue Book search queries.
When it came to general brand searches—such as Jeep or Chevrolet, as opposed to specific models—Kia drew the biggest jump at 68 percent. Curiously, Lexus' brand overall didn't fare well in this statistical category, coming in with a 6 percent lift. The Japanese automotive company also advertised the NX, which got a 48 percent spike in searches.
With Lexus' model-specific triumphs in mind, what gives?
"Its ads were both very model-centric, which were right in tune with the Super Bowl audience," said Jack Nerad, an executive markets analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
Nerad noted that the brand's spots struck a chord with male consumers, who queried model-specific searches. "Lexus' ads were pretty masculine," he said. "[But] they didn't extend to the Lexus brand."
Check out automotive advertisers' results from last night, per Kelley Blue Book's search data.
Percent Increase of KBB.com Searches for Big Game Advertised Models
| Model | Percent |
| Lexus RC 350 | 1,820% |
| BMW i3 | 1,131% |
| Merceds-Benz AMG GT | 950% |
| Jeep Renegade | 500% |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 370% |
| Nissan Maxima | 229% |
| Kia Sorento | 225% |
| Fiat 500X | 113% |
| Dodge Challenger | 106% |
| Lexus NX | 48% |
| Toyata Camry | 20% |
Percent Increase of KBB.com Searches for Big Game Advertised Brands
| Brand | Percent |
| Kia | 68% |
| Dodge | 62% |
| Fiat | 52% |
| Nissan | 45% |
| Jeep | 43% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 35% |
| BMW | 32% |
| Chevrolet | 32% |
| Toyota | 16% |
| Lexus | 6% |