Cambridge Analytica is more Kardashian than Machiavellian

Don’t believe the hype; consider it in context.  Here are four observations about Cambridge Analytica and the controversy that rocketed the company from obscurity to infamy/public enemy:

1. Timing is everything. Normally, accusations of violating Facebook’s terms of use and ignoring privacy laws do not merit coverage on CNN (or any other national mainstream news outlet).  But, when linked to the Trump Campaign, a mysterious Russian data scientist, Ukrainian honeytraps, and a pink-haired whistleblower, it becomes a story that explodes across two continents.
2. Cambridge Analytica is but one of many villains.  Famous by chance, their current corporate image is little more than a confluence of political timing and events.  In terms of pure villainy, Cambridge Analytica is more Kardashian than Machiavellian.  The core privacy issues and micro-targeting techniques have been around (and abused) for years.
3. Extraordinary claims deserve skepticism. Timing and the accompanying hyperbole cuts both ways.  This article from Medium examines some of the untested, yet frequently included, claims that continue to proliferate media coverage of Cambridge Analytica.  I remain skeptical.
4. The US Government response will matter more than Facebook’s. As a matter of corporate image, Facebook needed to respond.  However, regulators (especially those in the US—the world’s most lucrative digital advertising market) are much more likely to shape future practice.  For more, try this post from Proximis Digital (a firm I frequently partner with) about the potential real-world implications to online advertising.

I believe in data-driven campaigns—it is what I do.  However, I don’t view Cambridge Analytica as a game changer.  In terms of public affairs campaigns and communication strategy, they may offer refined tactical execution.  But, the strategy is very conventional.   My view of digital channels and communication strategy remain the same as they were in my post from the start of 2017.

I’ll be back soon with posts about psychographics, social media data, and communication strategy to digital tactics.