Relationship Reconciliation: GM Comes Back To Facebook Ads After Messy Breakup

Just 11 months ago, GM made the awkward decision to step away from Facebook ads in an overly public split. As Facebook was readying itself for the ball (IPO), GM  not only stood up the social network, but they publicly humiliated them saying that the ads didn’t work. Guess who’s groveling back. Yep, General Motors.

While GM attempted to embarrass Facebook last year, the real loser of this debacle is … <drumroll> … GM.

This was more of a case study on how to not market on Facebook — not that Facebook Marketing didn’t work. Upon the GM announcement, many companies came to Facebook’s defense stating that it wasn’t an issue with the network, rather the advertising. Others piled on, as well. AimClear succinctly pointed out that their social marketing approach was horrific, while AdAge embarrassed GM uncovering some of  their worst pieces of Facebook marketing. Rival Ford even chimed in to offer some ideas on how to properly market on Facebook:

It’s all about the execution. Our Facebook ads are effective when strategically combined with engaging content & innovation.

— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) May 15, 2012

Eventually, GM unceremoniously fired CMO Joel Ewanick stating that he “failed to meet the expectations the company has of an employee.”

Those mistakes are now in the past as GM is back with the world’s most popular social networks. According to AdAge, GM is back on Facebook with mobile campaigns for their “Find New Roads” campaign. Chris Perry, VP-US Chevrolet marketing told AdAge:

“Today, Chevrolet is launching an industry-first, ‘mobile-only’ pilot campaign for the Chevrolet Sonic that utilizes newly available targeting and measurement capabilities on Facebook.”

For more information see AdAge.

About The Author

Greg Finn

Greg Finn is the Director of Marketing for Cypress North, a company that provides world-class social media and search marketing services and web & application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 10+ years and specializes in Digital Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn.