• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, February 25, 2016

In the social world we’re living in today, the best algorithms can’t help brands that fail to monitor the context in which they’re ads are being served. “If something [negative] happens in a social channel, your best ad could turn into an absolute nightmare,” said Amy Bartle, Director of Media & Digital Marketing at La Quinta Inns & Suites.

Across social channels, consumers want to be able to reach out and get an “immediate response,” Bartle told attendees of MediaPost’s Cross-Channel Marketing Insider Summit, on Thursday. A tone-deaf ad is the best way to make a bad situation worse.  

Put another way, ad placement “can’t be 100% data driven,” said Alicia Petersen, VP Group Media Director, Trilia Media. Rather, it’s about recognizing the “human truth,” and the fact that perceptions are changing every moment.

It’s about empathy, suggested Charles Pinkerton, Founding Partner at Theseus Communications. Particularly at the intersection of social and mobile, “Having empathy and adding value is what you need to do.”