This is our last discussion assignment that r

This is our last discussion assignment that relates to marketing communications and draws knowledge from chapters on advertising (Chapter 15), personal selling (Chapter 17) and social media (Chapter 16) as well as the listed articles.  It provides a great opportunity for students to work on their critical thinking, problem solving and writing skills.

It was in the news that Facebook will stop paying commissions to employees who sell political ads, as it overhauls how it engages with campaigns ahead of elections in 2020. Once seen as a growth area, political ads are now viewed within Facebook as more of a headache.  In the wake of revelations about Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Facebook’s senior executives debated whether they should stop running political ads altogether, former employees familiar with the discussions said. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg made the final call that Facebook should continue selling political advertising, though changes will be made how to handle it, one former employee said.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

1. Discuss the significance of political ads in the advertising business in general and the social media in particular.

2. What are the costs / benefits (economic, political, social, and legal) of pursuing the political ads business for Facebook?

3. Discuss the strategy that Facebook has chosen to pursue regarding political ads for the 2020 election season. What other alternative strategies (identify three) could Facebook have pursued in the future regarding political ads?