Facebook Is Determined to Build Ties With Automakers
- Sandberg visits GM weeks after Zuckerberg drops in on Ford
- ‘These are real, legitimate business partnerships now’
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Facebook Inc. is seeking to boost advertising from the auto industry, a challenge because unlike movie tickets or shoes, consumers don’t really buy new cars online.
So the social network with almost 2 billion users is forging closer ties with carmakers, sending Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg to Detroit for the first time in the five years it’s hosted an annual Facebook Automotive Summit. She shared a stage with General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra at a women’s-only event early Thursday before the two toured a factory and spoke with about 200 GM employees.