March 2021
Supplement
HBS Case Collection

Artea (A), (B), (C), and (D): Designing Targeting Strategies

Format:Electronic
| Language:English

Abstract

Power Point Supplement to Teaching Note for HBS No. 521-021,521-022,521-037,521-043. This collection of exercises aims to teach students about 1)Targeting Policies; and 2)Algorithmic bias in marketing—implications, causes, and possible solutions. Part (A) focuses on A/B testing analysis and targeting. Parts (B),(C),(D) Introduce algorithmic bias. The exercises are designed such that the issues of algorithmic bias and discrimination would emerge inductively, “surprising” the students in the act of recommending a strategy that, inadvertently, is discriminating against customers who belong to minority groups. This is achieved via the combination of hands-on exercises, where students would make decisions based on data analyses and visualization, and in-class discussions, where students would defend their proposed strategies, discover the (discriminating) implications of those actions, and discuss possible solutions.

Keywords

Targeted Advertising; Targeting; Algorithmic Data; Bias; A/B Testing; Experiment; Advertising; Gender; Race; Diversity; Marketing; Customer Relationship Management; Prejudice and Bias; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Technology Industry; United States

Citation

Ascarza, Eva, and Ayelet Israeli. "Artea (A), (B), (C), and (D): Designing Targeting Strategies." Harvard Business School PowerPoint Supplement 521-719, March 2021.