Insurance Stands Out As Spender During NFL Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up over the weekend across four networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network), and brands were eager to cash in on the excitement as teams selected new players. Data from iSpot breaks down top brands and industries from the three-day event, by share of est. national linear TV ad spend during live airings of this year's draft.

• Both Nationwide (3.61% of spend) and Progressive (2.49%) were among the top advertisers by share of est. national linear TV ad spend over the course of the NFL Draft, and insurance led the way among all industries – with 11.14% of spend.
• That total was nearly 2x the next industry, beer & hard seltzer, at 6.19%.
• Hotels & motels were also a top-10 industry by spend, but that was almost entirely due to Courtyard (No. 2 brand overall). The brand didn't have any new spots for the draft, however, re-airing its Jason Kelce-led spot from last season instead.
• In general, the draft wasn't a time for many new brand spots; just 14 new creatives appeared during the event – led by Nationwide's "Nationwide Is So Much More," featuring (their typical pitch man) Peyton Manning and Saquon Barkley.

Interested in learning more about the top brands and ads during this year's NFL Draft and other tentpole TV events? Get in touch with an analyst at The Measure today.