Facebook Exec: We Wouldn't Exist Without Brands
Michael Seto / BI
At advertising's biggest festival, the Cannes Lions, Facebook exec Carolyn Everson went all out singing advertisers' praises.
“We wouldn't have a company without brands; they are essential,” the VP of global marketing solutions said at a Starcom MediaVest Group session. “Not only to the business side — of course that’s where the revenue comes from — but we also deeply believe that brands offer a tremendous amount of value to consumers, and always have.”
That's putting quite the premium on advertisers.
And Facebook has been trying to cozy up to Madison Avenue more and more.
This was the second year of the Facebook Studio Awards, in which the social media platform selects the brands that are using its resources best.
Facebook is also holding its first-ever gathering of the Facebook Creative Council this week while everyone is at Cannes. The group will act like a "sounding board for identifying top priorities for agency creatives in areas like product, measurement, and programs."
Everson noted Facebook's very intentional evolution to become a more open and attractive space for brands. Campaign reports that she noted a, “fundamental shift from talk of ‘pages and fans’” to “speaking business language for brands and agencies.” Although, “we have a lot to learn ... we're only nine years old. Many of these brands have been around for 100-plus years.”
And Facebook wasn't always a brand-favorite.
In September 2012, Campbell Soup Co. global director of digital marketing and social media, Adam Kmiec, said that Twitter's ad sales people completely trumped those at Facebook.
“[I've] never seen anything as ADD as Facebook,” he said at Business Insider's Social Media ROI conference. “Before they were public, you couldn't get Facebook on the phone ... It's interesting what happens when you actually have to show your numbers.”
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