GM Testing Facebook Advertising
After pulling a reported $10 million annual ad spend with Facebook last May, General Motors is back on the social media site. This time, the automaker is testing mobile ads.
General Motors is back on Facebook, nearly one year after pulling its approximate $10 million advertising budget from the social media site. This time, the manufacturer is testing a mobile-only marketing campaign for its Chevrolet Sonic, which was launched today.
"Chevrolet is testing a number of mobile advertising solutions, including Facebook, as part of its ‘Find New Roads’ campaign,” Chris Perry, VP of U.S. Chevrolet Marketing, told Auto Dealer Monthly in an e-mailed statement. “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.”
The announcement comes shortly after eMarketer revised its 2013 projections for mobile ad spending. The New York-based research firm expects spending to rise to $7.29 billion this year. It also predicted that three in 10 of those mobile display dollars will go directly to Facebook this year, not surprising considering comScore recently reported about a quarter of all time on mobile apps is spent on the social network (23 percent on Facebook and 3 percent on Facebook-owned Instagram).
A spokesperson for GM could not disclose an expected advertising spend level, so it is unknown if GM intends to ramp up its Facebook ad spend to what it once was.
"We've had an ongoing dialogue with GM over the last twelve months and are pleased to have them back as an advertiser on Facebook,” a spokesperson for Facebook told Auto Dealer Monthly magazine. “We look forward to working even more closely with GM in the coming weeks and months."
— Stephanie Forshee
More Dealer Ops

Dealer Debrief: Defection Data & EV Updates
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses how to use defection data to your advantage and the latest on EV sales and charging infrastructure.
Read More →
How Defection Data is Bridging the Dealership Conversion Gap
Lead volume is flat, cross-shopping is up and brand loyalty is in retreat. As confident sales teams keep losing buyers they thought they had, daily industry sales data is showing dealers exactly where their funnel is breaking and how to fix it without buying a single new lead.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Where are you losing customers?
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses the hidden leaks in dealerships where you might be losing customers without even realizing it.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Improving Your Inventory Management
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence covers a new survey that shows what service technicians really want and two launches that could help improve your inventory and vehicle life cycle management.
Read More →
Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins
A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.
Read More →
What Market Timing Mistakes Mean for Your Reinsurance Program
When volatility hits, dealer-owned reinsurance programs face a familiar temptation: pull back and wait for calmer waters. New data from BOK Financial shows why that instinct can quietly cost you years of surplus growth.
Read More →
Dealer Ads and the FTC
The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.
Read More →
Used Autos Supply Dwindles
The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.
Read More →
Managing Risk Effectively Through Changing Times
The variables influencing risk pricing have changed significantly over the past five years. Being proactive and responsive to emerging trends is not optional but essential.
Read More →
Survey Reveals What Won't Fix What's Breaking Car Sales
AutoPayPlus says extra-long auto loans are trapping consumers and threatening the dealer trade-in cycle, and that the industry is leveraging the wrong tools to combat high MSRPs.
Read More →
