Facebook looks at traditional media to woo customers

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.