GM SPENDING BIG ON TV ADS AGAIN

After drastically cutting back its advertising as it attempted to recover from its own collapse into bankruptcy, General Motors is once again buying expensive ad placements on network sports specials. Coming on the heels of a recent announcement that GM would once again purchase ads — costing $2 million+ each — during the 2011 Super Bowl, a report in Automotive News said Thursday that the auto company is buying spots during this month’s World Series to launch its Chevrolet Volt electric hybrid car. (Although the Volt has a small gas engine, it is used only to recharge the battery if it gets low, thereby extending the car’s range.) GM also agreed to “support” an early start of the third game of the Series on Saturday, Oct. 30, which will begin at 6:57 p.m., when ads ordinarily sell for less than during primetime. It will mark the earliest start of a World Series game since 1987. (Prior to 1971 all World Series games were played during the day.) In a statement, Fox Sports President Eric Shanks said, “We’ve said over the years that if advertisers were willing to support earlier starts at primetime levels, we’d be able to begin games earlier.”