Some Big Brands Give Low Marks to Social Media

Here's some food for thought for all those planning social media buys, or purchase of Facebook stock. Two big brands recently gave low marks to social marketing results. First, Xerox's Chief Marketing Officer Christa Carone questioned the value of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for b-to-b marketing. A foray into paid Twitter ads garnered "initial negative reaction from our more established clients," she noted. "I know that the CIOs of major companies are not going to be making a $5 million... deal based on their connection with Xerox on Facebook." See the full story at http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2170853/xerox-cmo-sold-twitter-pinterest Then General Motors Co., the third largest U.S. advertiser, announced it will stop its paid ads on Facebook, even as the social networking website prepared to go public. Sources are reported to have said the automaker decided Facebook's ads had little impact on consumers. See the full story at http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20120516&id=15115985  Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. remains a Facebook fan, so maybe it's about the message not the media. "You just can't buy your way into Facebook," is the quote from Ford spokesman Scott Monty. "You need to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things."