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Growthink Blog

Are Facebook and Groupon Bubbles Waiting To Burst?

Print Written by Jay Turo on Monday, January 24, 2011
Categories:

Goldman Sachs recently sold shares in Facebook at a value of $50 billion, a price greater than that of Nike, Target, eBay, and General Motors, to name just a few.

Yet the blogosphere is abuzz with how Facebook usage rates and advertising effectiveness are already starting to plateau.

Groupon, the darling 2-year old “daily deal” company, recently turned down a $6 billion purchase offer from Google.

Over 500 Groupon “copycat” websites have sprung up all over the Internet, taxing the already somewhat “faddish” demand for the daily deals site.

So we are left with that sinking feeling that this whole social networking advertising space may be just one giant bubble waiting to burst….

On the other hand…

In 2010, domestic online advertising spending increased almost 14% to $25.8 billion, and for the first time surpassed newspaper ad spending.  

Facebook now has more than 500 million active users, or close to 10% of the world’s population!

As impressively, more than 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States and 200 million of them access their sites through their phones!

As for Groupon, the site now has more than 50 million subscribers who have collectively participated in close to 25 million “groupons,” or group purchase transactions.

So, are we just in the early stages of a new paradigm that will continue to transform how we all shop, connect, and live?  

And will those that get in now earn riches beyond their wildest imaginations?

Get the Answers

I am excited to share with you the opportunity to meet Growthink Managing Director Mr. Troy Centazzo.

Troy for the past 15 years has worked and lived in New Media as a strategist, entrepreneur, and investment banker, and in the past few months he has interviewed dozens of social media and advertising executives, marketers, and investors.


Jay Turo
CEO
Growthink


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Troy Centazzo says

Jay- Look forward to presenting. Should be a lot of fun. See you there. Troy
Posted at 1:51 pm
Terry East says

Advertising business models will change to adapt to the environment in which the ads are delivered; i.e. advertising will follow where the eyeballs are located. Especially, when the demand is for "free" content. Currently, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the gods of the social media scene... and the large valuations for these sites are based on the revenue potential, primarily from advertising and customer acquisition methods. Groupon and other daily deal sites will prosper to the extent they can continue to grow eyeballs. $6 billion for Groupon would have been a bargain for Google based on their perceived growth rate. I am watching online video entertainment. As the business model evolves at sites such as YouTube, and the potential for monetization increases, their valuation will grow as well. The winners will be those who develop the most desirable content. Content continues to be king. The good news is it appears the ability to grow a fortune has become more democratized.
Posted at 4:29 pm
T says

Great comment Terry. We'll get deep into your point about "advertising following where the eyeballs are located." Hope to see you there. Troy
Posted at 3:45 am