General Motors' decision to stop buying advertising on Facebook and pass on running spots during next year's Super Bowl signals that the automaker will emphasize content creation and customer service on social media platforms.

GM's move to cut Facebook ad spending started a media debate about the reason for the poor performance of its Facebook ads. Some said Facebook is overhyped as an advertising tool, while others countered that GM wasn't using the social network correctly. Regardless, the automaker made ...