These Five Direct-to-Consumer Brands Are Spending Big on TV in 2019

Direct-to-consumer brands offering everything from food to furniture have been growing rapidly in recent years. We worked with iSpot.tv, the TV ad measurement and attribution company, to see which D-to-C marketers are focusing on on television advertising in an effort to reach consumers right in their living rooms, and if that spend is resulting in increased attention during commercials.

According to iSpot, here are the top five D-to-C brands ranked by TV ad spend from Jan. 1 through May 31:

1. Wayfair - estimated spend: $57.3 million, an increase of 27.9% from the same time period in 2018
2. Peloton - estimated spend: $54.2 million, an increase of 11.3% from the same time period in 2018
3. Ashley HomeStore - estimated spend: $51.8 million, a decrease of 1% from the same time period in 2018
4. Smile Direct Club - estimated spend: $46.9 million, an increase of 71.2% from the same time period in 2018
5. Grubhub - estimated spend: $32.9 million, an increase of 98.2% from the same time period in 2018

We also looked at some of the top brands by iSpot Attention Index, which measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt “ad play” (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV). The higher the number, the better.

1. Ashley HomeStore - Attention Index of 123
2. Wayfair - Attention Index of 118
3. Peloton - Attention Index of 105
4. Smile Direct Club - Attention Index of 85
5. Grubhub - Attention Index of 77

Ashley HomeStore ads were 23% less likely to be interrupted, Wayfair 18% less likely and Peloton 5% less likely. On the flip side, spots from Grubhub and Smile Direct Club were more likely to be interrupted than ads from marketers in their competitive set.

These five advertisers had high budgets across a variety of programs, but for three of them (Ashley HomeStore, Grubhub and Smile Direct Club), the MTV show Ridiculousness was in the top five for estimated spend during the period measured. We used Inscape, the TV data company with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 11 million smart TVs, to see what other shows Ridiculousness viewers have been watching to surface additional placements those advertisers may want to consider across both new and syndicated programming currently on the air. Topping the list: Catfish: The TV Show, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Teen Mom OG, Teen Mom 2 and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

Via Inscape

Photo by Dom J from Pexels