Big data firm Cambridge Analytica to target Brazil’s dissatisfied middle class

Credited with capitalizing on the populist sentiments that led to the victories of Donald Trump in the U.S. and Brexit in Europe, big data firm Cambridge Analytica arrived in Brazil in March this year. Partnering with São Paulo-based marketing firm Ponte Estratégia, the company’s Brazilian incarnation works under the title CA-Ponte as it helps potential presidential candidates gain online momentum as the 2018 elections approach. While Cambridge Analytica has stated that it is not tied exclusively to CA-Ponte in Brazil, they have also said that they are not working with other companies in the country at present.

The reputation of André Torretta, CA-Ponte’s lead marketing strategist, might have something to do with this. Torretta’s portfolio lists impressive past experience, including work on the electoral campaigns of José Sarney, former Maranhão governor Roseana Sarney and former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Reports in Brazilian media say that CA-Ponte is working with two undisclosed pre-candidates at state government level, and a further two at Senate level.

Torretta was chosen not just for his expertise in the field, but also for his specialty in understanding and targeting middle-class voters and overcoming...