The effectiveness of Facebook’s advertising was called into question earlier this week when General Motors confirmed that it would be pulling the $10 million the company spends annually on Facebook ads because they are not delivering results. Now, just one day before Facebook’s initial public offering, a study conducted by marketing agency Greenlight suggests that nearly half of all Facebook users will never click on a sponsored post or display ad.
According to VentureBeat, the study found that 44% of respondents said they would never click on a Facebook ad while 3% said they regularly click ads on Facebook’s site and 10% said they do so often. And of course, when it comes to Facebook, a survey isn’t a survey unless it mentions privacy — 30% of the 500 people polled by Greenlight said they strongly distrust Facebook with their personal data.
“With over 30% of respondents saying they ‘strongly distrust’ Facebook with their personal data, Facebook’s advertising program has an upward struggle,” Greenlight director Hannah Kimuyusaid. “Facebook’s advertising program allows brands to connect with more than 800 million potential customers, through targeting their age, gender, location, and interests, in other words – personal data.”
Kimuyu did note, however, that those respondents who did click ads on Facebook found them to be “effective and engaging.”
