MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Don't Let Marketing Personalization Kill Your Brand

Companies should be wary of going overboard when implementing a data-driven marketing strategy.

Brand managers are under intense pressure to personalize their marketing efforts. McKinsey calls data activation and personalization the heartbeat of modern marketing. Netflix is becoming a global giant by using machine learning to power personalization for customers.

But there’s a big danger to personalization as well. When done right, it can give managers unprecedented access to buyers at the right places and times. But done wrong, it can do long-term damage to any business. It can even destroy a brand.