Company That Ran Trump's Campaign Has Arrived in Brazil

12/06/2017 - 10h19

Of the many controversial aspects surrounding Trump's presidential campaign, at least one has been exported to Brazil and will most likely be a part of the 2018 election.

Cambridge Analytica is a pioneering company that merges behavioral psychology with big data for political campaigns. The company arrived back in March and has been operating ever since.

The company emerged as a partner to British consulting firm SCL. In order to operate in Brazil the company teamed up with Ponte Estratégia, a targeted marketing company, leading to the creation of CA-Ponte.

The conservative trend in the company's client portfolio is no coincidence. One of the main investors behind Cambridge Analytica is billionaire Robert Mercer, who is also a Republican donor.

Trump's former chief-strategist, Steve Bannon, who served in his administration until August, was also on the administrative board of Cambridge Analytica.

The company's clients in Brazil will probably not follow as clear an ideological trend. According to the president of the local office, André Torretta, the company is open to working with a wider political spectrum, whether on the left or on the right.

The only candidates who will be considered off limits are extremist ones. Mr. Torretta substantiated this position by mentioning a family member of his who was tortured during the military dictatorship.

The company concentrates on paid campaign ads on social media, a modality of political advertising that had been outlawed until October of this year, when president Michel Temer sanctioned a political reform bill that made it legal.

Such campaigns allow candidates to boost posts, meaning they can purchase increased ad exposure, targeting users who fit a specific profile

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images/AFP
	Supporters wave as president-elect Donald Trump arrives for a thank you rally in Ladd-Peebles Stadium on December 17, 2016 in Mobile, Alabama