We can’t build customer strategies solely on algorithms — and the pandemic proves it

A friend told me the other day about an ad he saw on Facebook. In it, young people clad in an activewear company’s bikinis and shirts are seen frolicking on Rio’s crowded Ipanema Beach. “Unique vision of effortless lifestyle,” read the brand statement at the top. Talk about failing to read the room. Here is a more recent photo of that now-empty beach, post-pandemic. Call it a case of algorithms gone bad. My friend was served this ad because machines had crunched data provided by his online activity and marked him as a hot prospect. The algorithm apparently was unaware…

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