Facebook Ads Attracting Big Brands

Nature Valley increased its Facebook presence by 70,000 on May 21. To achieve that result, the granola bar maker ran an ad on the social media site that stated it would donate $1 to the National Park Conservation Association for every person who became a fan. Located in Minneapolis, the General Mills-owned brand lifted its fan totals (or, “People Who Like”) from 125,000 to around 195,000 in the 24-hour period.

The goodwill marketing tactic highlights just one of the many ways big brands are leverging Facebook’s self-service ad platform. Lexus, Wendy’s, ESPN, KC Masterpiece, Sony Pictures, Bose, and Hardee’s are just a few of the brands that ClickZ has observed using the ads in the last week.

For example, Sony Pictures has been using a video ad (see images below) to push the upcoming release of “The Karate Kid,” while Hardee’s has used a printable coupon to lure users into becoming fans. And KC Masterpiece has offered the chance to win free tickets to a Keith Urban concert.

After beingasked about the apparent uptick in major companies using its site recently, compared to only a few months ago, a Facebook spokesperson responded: “We are seeing more brands using both engagement ads and marketplace ads to drive results across objectives, from awareness to conversion.”

Here’s a look at some of those ads as they have appeared:

 

 

 

 

Follow Christopher Heine on Twitter at @ChrisClickZ.