Walmart tests Facebook promotion

New York City A report by Adweek on Wednesday said that Walmart is testing a daily deals service, similar to Groupon, to test the social media advertising waters.

Walmart launched Facebook ads on Wednesday promoting a new service it is calling CrowdSaver. Walmart will is offering 18% off a plasma TV if it gets 5,000 “likes.” Walmart encourages its fans to rally their friends in order to ensure the deal happens.

The move, according to the Adweek report, takes a page from the Groupon model, which offers substantial discounts on goods and services if a critical mass of people take up the offer. Nearly all Groupon offers "tip" since the service now has 25 million subscribers worldwide, 15 million of which are in North America.

Adweek said CrowdSaver is a test to assess whether Walmart can develop a foothold in the emerging field of social commerce.

The program is the work of Walmart digital agency R/GA, part of Interpublic Group.