America
Facebook looks at traditional media to woo customers
New York, April 13
Social networking site
Facebook has not lost interest in advertising through traditional media
yet. According to a Nielsen study, Facebook has spent more than six
million pounds on traditional media in Britain so far this year --
significantly up from 16,000 pounds in 2014.
In Britain, Facebook's campaign is called "the friends" and features scenes of friends having fun with one another.
The
ads are lightly branded, featuring only a small Facebook logo and were
designed by the company's in-house creative team which it calls "The
Factory", Financial Times reported.
Since the campaign started in
February, Facebook has spent more than three million pounds on
television, 1.5 million pounds on outdoor media, nine lakh pounds on
cinema and six lakh pounds on press, according to the Nielsen data.
In
turning to traditional media, Facebook is following Google and many
other digital media companies that have adopted old-fashioned methods
for brand-building.
"It was ironic that Facebook, which has long
sought to convince brands that its platform is more efficient than
traditional media, is using 'a mass medium with loads of wastage to
promote themselves," Neil Spencer, consultant at media consultancy
service provider Slik Media, was quoted as saying.
The move highlights a change in Facebook's approach.
Until recently, it built its business through word of mouth without spending on traditional media.
According
to experts, the reason Facebook had started to invest in traditional
media is that mass media are an essential tool in building a brand and
establishing trust with consumers.
This year, the company has also started buying ads in mass media in Canada and Australia, the report added.