General Motors has announced that it does not plan to spend any money to run television advertisements during the pricey Super Bowl XLIII in February. GM, like many other companies, has long taken advantage of the expensive venue to promote products with especially memorable ads. The move comes as a result of significant cost-cutting and belt-tightening in the Detroit automaker’s budget that also saw no GM advertising during last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards, a notable departure from tradition.
GM has spent more than $77 million in the last 15 years to advertise during Super Bowl games, putting the automaker third behind Anheuser-Busch and Pepsico in terms of spending. Ford and Chrysler didn’t advertise during last year’s championship game, though neither automaker has officially announced its plans for the 2009 Super Bowl.
The automaker isn’t pulling out entirely from Super Bowl spending. The automaker says it will likely advertise during pre- and post-game coverage on television and it will provide vehicles to be used at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
GM also recently announced that it was cutting the star-laden GM Style event held prior to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
