Autoblog

GM and Facebook, sitting in a tree once again

Jeffrey N. Ross — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST

Almost a year ago, General Motors made the high-profile move of pulling its advertisements from Facebook, but now it appears that the two giants of their respective industries are back on speaking terms. Ad Age is reporting that GM is once again committing its ad dollars to Facebook, although there are few details to go on including how much the automaker plans to spend.

What's changed since last May? For starters, Joel Ewanick was fired from GM last year after ending the relatively small Facebook ad budget (reportedly $10 million) and initiating a much more expensive one ($559 million) with British soccer team Manchester United. Also, the Ad Age article does indicate that since last May, Facebook has come up with a new ad exchange that offers more traditional advertisements rather than cookie-based social ads, which may have been one of the reasons GM dropped its Facebook budget to begin with.

In any case, you can now expect to see The General's advertisements while you're looking for some online social interaction.

GM and Facebook, sitting in a tree once again originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM sits down with Facebook, may friend each other again

Zach Bowman — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, GM

General Motors and Facebook have restarted talks. According to Adweek.com, Joel Ewanick, GM's head of global marketing, and Facebook global head of sales Carolyn Everson recently met during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in France. Those conversations eventually led to talks between GM CEO Dan Akerson and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, indicating the automaker may be interested in restarting its advertising efforts with the social media giant.

GM dealt Facebook a serious blow when the manufacturer pulled its ad commitments with Facebook just days before the site went public. The automaker reportedly spent $10 million on Facebook ads, but said the efforts were largely wasted. The departure sparked a larger conversation about the value of social media marketing and may have contributed to Facebook's stock faltering shortly after going public.

Neither GM nor Facebook are commenting on whether the automaker will reopen its advertising account.

GM sits down with Facebook, may friend each other again originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM says Facebook ads not effective, pulls campaign ahead of IPO

Chris Shunk — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, GM

The Internets are buzzing over the upcoming initial public offering of Facebook, but General Motors doesn't seem all that impressed. The Huffington Post reports that The General has pulled its Facebook ad campaigns just days before the social media site is scheduled to officially hit the stock market.

The pricey ad buy reportedly wasn't paying sufficient dividends for GM, which spends billions of dollars on advertising every year. GM Spokesperson Pat Morrissey confirmed that Facebook was being reassessed, but added that the automaker routinely reviews where it is spending its ad dollars. Morrissey then added that GM is looking for effectiveness when it doles out marketing cash, which doesn't bode well for Facebook's ability to draw clicks.

If GM's decision sounds at all irrational, the statistics seem to show that Facebook isn't exactly an ad-click magnet. A recent CNBC poll showed that 50 percent of all Facebook users never click on any ads, and only 12 percent of those polled feel comfortable purchasing anything through Facebook. Google appears to be more effective at attracting clicks, as The Wall Street Journal cites a click-rate that is seven times that of Facebook.

Regardless of GM's decision to break up with Facebook, we're guessing that the news probably won't drown out much of the anticipation for the IPO. After all, it isn't every day that an Internet site with 900 million mostly addicted users goes public.

GM says Facebook ads not effective, pulls campaign ahead of IPO originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab fans virtually occupy GM Facebook page

Noah Joseph — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., GM, Saab

Remember back in your college days when the more extreme among the student activists would stage sit-ins to protest this issue or that? Well, the practice has jumped from the university administration building to cyberspace, and in the process, it's made its way into the automotive sphere.

The development centers around Saab, its loyal followers and General Motors' Facebook page. You see, fans of the Swedish automaker are a little upset that GM is standing in the way of Trollhättan's potential salvation at the hands of the Chinese. As such, they've taken en masse to The General's social media presence to post messages like "Let Saab Go!"

We can almost hear Moses petitioning Pharoah, or the distant rumble of the Occupy Wall Street movement applauding in the background. Whether it will be enough to make Detroit relent remains to be seen, but we wouldn't begrudge the faithful from making their stand.

Saab fans virtually occupy GM Facebook page originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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