How automakers fared during the Super Bowl

Going into Super Bowl Sunday, the talk was about social awareness and inspirational themes that automakers would be promoting with their ads.

Gender pay equity, environmentalism, pursuing dreams and rethinking the way that people move about the world were among the expected topics.

It appeared the metal-driven formula of traditional car ads wouldn’t be used much this year -- and then Alfa Romeo came out of nowhere and burned rubber all over everybody’s screens with three ads for the new Giulia sedan.

For a full roundup of the ads, click here

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles grabbed three slots to showcase the Giulia’s agility while sharing a little of the brand’s heritage with the masses. The huge investment -- Super Bowl spots carried an estimated $5 million price tag for 30 seconds -- comes at a crucial moment as FCA tries to resurrect the brand in the U.S.

Did the gambit pay off? Traffic on third-party shopping sites during and after the game suggest the ads hit their marks by influencing consumers to do some research on the brand.

Cars.com reports that Alfa Romeo pages on the site experienced a 1,179 percent traffic bounce in the eight minutes after the commercials ran. Meanwhile, visitor traffic for the Giulia on Sunday was up 7,320 percent when compared to traffic over the previous four Sundays.

It was the same story for Alfa Romeo on Edmunds. The Giulia drew an 802 percent traffic increase, the third-highest lift behind the Lexus LC 500’s 1,710 percent and the Kia Niro’s 869 percent jump.

Traffic for Alfa Romeo topped all other brands with a 785 percent bounce.

The Giulia saw strong numbers on Kelley Blue Book and AutoTrader as well. On KBB.com, the Guilia’s traffic rose more than 5,000 percent, the highest jump of any vehicle. In addition, AutoTrader data shows that Giulia traffic leaped 2,628 percent.

KBB and AutoTrader compared searches an hour after the ad ran to an hour before the Super Bowl.

“Alfa Romeo’s strategy was incredibly effective, and just what the brand needs on the heels of the Giulia launch,” David Greene, Car.com’s data strategy manager, told Automotive News, adding: “This strategy to get the Giulia out there in front of consumers right after it went on sale is going to give them tremendous exposure. I also think this is a play to help Alfa Romeo show dealers that they are really supporting the brand. It’s definitely money well spent.”

Kia was another top performer with its Niro spot that touted the environmental friendliness of the hybrid crossover. Comedic actress Melissa McCarthy, while driving the Niro, gets called on to save whales, trees and rhinos in a slew of outrageous moments.

On Edmunds, the Niro had the second-largest lift in traffic among vehicles at 869 percent. On the brand level, Kia saw a traffic bounce of 63 percent -- making it a runner-up to Alfa Romeo and the top performer among mass market brands.

Kia was the only non-luxury brand in the top five for brand traffic increases on Edmunds.