GM Withdraws From Facebook? In Europe, They Don't

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: May 16th, 2012

While GM is withdrawing from Facebook advertising, over in Europe, Opel does the opposite: Opel spent untold budget amounts to hire Orlando Higginbottom, better known as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The hot UK producer, remixer and DJ was hired to flog … clicks to Facebook.

Opel’s new small car, either named after Opel’s founding father Adam Opel, or the man who followed the dictum that an apple a day keeps the snake away, is marketed heavily via Facebook. Adam’s name was slow-revealed on Youtube and Facebook. Adam has its own Facebook page. Now, Opel signed Higginbottom to drive traffic from here to Adam.

The Higginbottom video is gutsy and tragic at the same time.

It’s gutsy, because choosing “Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs” as the spokesman for a car that harkens back to a man that would be 175 years old if he still would be alive, or that reminds us of more biblical ages, shows dry wit and self-effacing humility, usually in short supply at GM.

It’s tragic, because the video will create few clicks. At 0:29, you are asked to “Find out more at Adam & You.” How? You have one second to find the non-existent URL, then, it’s fade to black. If you want to find out more, you need to peruse Google, and you most likely will land on the latest hits of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Out of compassion for the tragicomedy, we run the ad at no charge. Here, one more time.

Reuters checked with ad-tracking firm Kantar Media. Kantar says that GM spent $1.1 billion on U.S. ads last year. It spent about $271 million on online display and search ads excluding Facebook. Facebook received $10 million. The creation of content and the advertising and media agencies involved in the Facebook project costs $30 million, the Wall Street Journal said. A bit lopsided.

In the grand scheme of things, pulling ads from Facebook barely moves the needle. However, I see Opel to salute obediently, and to pull its Facebook support once Adam has been born.

#Adam #BertelSchmitt #Facebook #Germany #GM #Opel

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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Carbiz on May 17, 2012

I can't say I blame GM. Facebook on this side of the pond is becoming a cesspool. In my profession as Property Manager, we've had to shut down 2 FB pages at our sites: they just become a bed of innuendo and conjecture. Misinformation piles on top of exaggerations and outright lies, until someone gets sued. Even Board members jump on the bandwagon. It's awful.

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Carfriend313 on May 17, 2012

Er....what? This makes no sense. And coming from the owner of a small Vauxhall, that surely can't be good if they're interested in attracting repeat custom. Hell, was there ANY clue that it was for a car of any kind? To add to which, I just googled 'Adam & you' and found nothing relevant....

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