We examine the origin and the facts behind this explosive story, the importance of headlines, and how unsubstantiated assumptions gain traction and mainstream attention and help create myths around Predictive Analytics. “How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did” was an explosive headline in a Forbes article by Kashmir Hill
For months, women’s fashion retailer Sway struggled to lure customers to its newly launched website by blasting them with sporadic emails. “It was pretty sad,” said Cheyanne Sequoyia-Mackay, Sway’s marketing manager. “Only about 20% of our customers...