Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

Read the following and state the issues. Target Stores: The Hunt for Unvolunteered Truths New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg's research for an article on

Read the following and state the issues.

Target Stores: The Hunt for Unvolunteered TruthsNew York Times reporter Charles Duhiggs research for an article on predicEric Siegel, an industry analyst, provided some perspective on how the New York Times article had come to be written. In a boTarget was Americas second-largest big-box discount retailer behind Walmart ( \( \$ 279 \) billion U.S. sales). It used stylPole and his team knew that being conspicuous in the way ads and offers were targeted could backfire, so they devised systemsOur guests expect us to use the information on what they have done to give them relevant offers. If 24 hours ago you went andWere not trying to acquire babies, right? This is not an illegal thing, right. Were trying to acquire guests. Ideally we waThe journalist explained that digital inference allows the NSA or law enforcement agencies to derive actionable intelligence 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Target Stores: The Hunt for "Unvolunteered Truths" New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg's research for an article on predictive analytics in marketing had led him to Target Stores' corporate headquarters at Target Plaza in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He approached the reception desk. How would, and indeed, how should, Target respond to his inquiries? Background Duhigg's article in the New York Times Magazine in 2012 reported on an angry father's words to a Target store manager outside Minneapolis. The article read: "My daughter got this in the mail!" he said. "She's still in high school, and you're sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?" The manager didn't have any idea what the man was talking about. He looked at the mailer. Sure enough, it was addressed to the man's daughter and contained advertisements for maternity clothing, nursery furniture and pictures of smiling infants. The manager apologized and then called a few days later to apologize again. On the phone, though, the father was somewhat abashed. "I had a talk with my daughter," he said. "It turns out there's been some activities in my house I haven't been completely aware of. She's due in August. I owe you an apology."1 The article, under the headline "How Companies Learn Your Secrets," started a media storm that would churn for several years. It was written by Duhigg after he had viewed a year-old video titled, "How Target Gets the Most out of Its Guest Data," delivered by a Target staff statistician, Andrew Pole, at a marketing industry event called Predictive Analytics World.2 Forbes magazine retold Duhigg's story under a more arresting headline, "How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did,"3 and other media followed suit under progressively more lurid headlines. The technology website Business Insider trumpeted, "The Incredible Story of How Target Exposed a Teen Girl's Pregnancy."4 Simply typing "Target p" into Google three years later produced the auto- completed suggestion "Target Pregnant" and images of pregnant bellies painted with the Target logo. (See Exhibit 1.)

Step by Step Solution

3.46 Rating (156 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

The passage discusses several issues related to data privacy predictive analytics and the use of consumer data by companies like Target Privacy Concer... blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image

Step: 3

blur-text-image

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Vector Mechanics for Engineers Statics and Dynamics

Authors: Ferdinand Beer, E. Russell Johnston Jr., David Mazurek, Phillip Cornwell, Brian Self

11th edition

73398241, 978-0073398242

More Books

Students also viewed these General Management questions

Question

Explain actions managers can take to change organizational culture.

Answered: 1 week ago