GM returns to Facebook after the 2012 advertising departure.
Back in December of last year, in an article entitled “Social Networking Use Increases But Some Major Advertisers No Longer See Paid Advertising As A Viable Marketing Resource”, it was said that ”General Motors (the third largest advertiser in the U.S.) made it cleat that they no longer intended to pay for Facebook ads as a means of advertising. Citing the reason as their ineffectiveness as a viable marketing source for GM.” In a nutshell, General Motors was done. No more Facebook advertising. At that time in 2012 GM had told the WSJ that the $10 million that the company had poured into Facebook advertising and it just doesn’t “pay off”. The move was a huge slap in the face for Facebook at the time because GM had made the split with Facebook just a few days before Facebook’s well known and much publicized IPO. Thus in a way smearing Facebook’s reputation and value right before it went on sale to the public.
Well, guess who’s back to Facebook advertising. Yes, GM. It seems things have changed, and well, obviously GM now thinks that Facebook may now have more potentially value than they previously believed.
According to the NY Times, GM has come back to give Facebook another “test”, but this time one that entails a “mobile-only pilot campaign” using “newly available targeting and measurement capabilities on Facebook.”
Not surprisingly, GM has decided to conduct this return to Facebook “test” after reports came out last week that Facebook mobile advertising is probably going to soar this year. E-marketer said that they expect to see Facebook attract $3 of every $10 spent in mobile display advertising this year. I’m certain as well that such breathtaking advertising news got GM execs to thinking, “Hey maybe the ad campaigns are more our fault than Facebooks.”
Stats via e-Marketer
It remains to be seen just how well this GM / Facebook mobile advertising “test”pans out between the two. The stats are surely coming down the line somewhere along the way in 2013/2014.