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Protecting Your Brand and Consumers from the Next Wave of Disinformation & Misinformation
Remember when disinformation and misinformation only happened to politicians? Watch our webinar where experts from Walmart, W2O Group, the U.S. Department of State, and Yonder on how brands today can prevent damage to their reputation and protect consumers when false or inaccurate information spreads and takes hold online.
You’ll learn more about how disinformation has come to affect brands in recent years, how factions operate and use social platforms to influence and grow their networks, and things to consider when mis/disinformation spreads and impacts you and your consumers. Below are highlights from the conversation .
What are organizations up against today that they weren’t facing 5, 10 years ago? What has changed in the last few months?
Decades ago, Facebook and Google reached most people online. The mobile phone is the center of the universe for the majority of the world. Attention spans are 1-3 seconds long. There are millions of people on message platforms. We’re not that great at understanding behavioral analytics… We’ve never been more primed to take mis/disinformation and move forward without looking at it more closely, noted Bob Pearson, Senior Advisor at W2O Group and an educator on combating disinformation at the U.S. Department of State.
Moreover, we live in a highly polarized environment, with tempers running very hot and activism on the rise. We’re in a time where if it trends it’s true and authenticity and trust really matters to consumers — and organizations are having to pick sides to establish trust.
Groups online called factions are in control of which ideas spread online. See why authenticity and influence matter more than volume and likes.
Disinformation used to happen to politicians but it’s something that happens to the private sector. How did it start to impact brands, consumers, and their communities?
Disinformation is rooted in uncertainty, fear, confusion and controversy. It relies on people’s emotions and instincts to succeed. In the past that was central to politics, but now that we see culture taking a leading role in disinformation, that by default brings in brands, their positions on social issues, how they manufacture their products, their executives, etc. into the disinformation space.
“It took me awhile to understand that not all campaigns are targeted at an entity,” said Zach Aldrich, Senior Manager of Insights & Analytics at Walmart. One example he shared involved conversations where people were comparing standing in line to shop at Walmart to standing at the polls. The brand was not being targeted, but it was being used as a vehicle for the conversation about mail-in vs. in person voting. “Walmart was being used as a descriptor, not as a targeted entity.” Telling that difference is critical to triaging situations and not letting every conversation sideswipe your brand.
Indeed, stated Yonder’s Chief Innovation Officer Ryan Fox, we rarely see people coming after a company — but brands are platforms, and vehicles. You can stay neutral, out of the conversation, or take a position on things. But know that your position will be misconstrued against you because you are now an adequate (and vulnerable) vehicle for that position.
What has been your strategy around detecting and responding to mis / disinformation?
Aldrich said brands should set up a systematic process to understand that bad actors and influential factions are everywhere, detect when mis/disinformation is spreading, and triage situations. Understanding that every space is vulnerable and every space is an opportunity at the same time is what can really set brands up to be successful and proactive vs. reactive.
The decision of whether or not to act on mis/disinformation comes down to:
- What is this? Where is it coming from?
- What groups are pushing this? Not in terms of demographics but what they believe in. If I know what they believe in, I know what the intent is.
“If you’re dealing with misinformation, the goal should be to fill the authenticity gap. Mis/disinformation succeeds when there is a lack of authenticity and clarity. The goal should be to provide authentic engagement and access to the right information.” Fox said.
How does looking at the internet through the lens of factions help organizations understand how mis/ disinformation impacts them, their consumers, and communities?
A lot of navigating disinformation in the public sector involves understanding how extremist groups use social platforms to recruit, influence and grow their networks. Brands may not deal with extremist groups but they understand the concept of an influencer….
Influence happens within groups of people who believe the same thing. Understanding their belief system, and their history within that belief system helps you understand the narratives that spread and they are a part of later on.
K-pop Stans, for example, who share the same brain, are more powerful than any single influencer… it’s their passion that gives them the power. If you can understand how that faction is engaging around a topic, then you don’t have to listen to everything being posted about it… you already know where the conversation is most likely going to go.
Moreover, when factions change how they speak, you can know how things will shift broadly. That’s especially important when you understand that factions are not always adversarial to you — understanding how they shift against you or in favor of you is an opportunity to engage in ways that will bring you in closer alignment with them or help you distance yourself from them if your values and theirs no longer align.
What would you say to organizations that are making plans to fight mis / disinformation and protect their reputation and their consumers moving forward?
This space may give rise to a new era for Corporate Social Responsibility, said Pearson. Where brands are taking a more proactive approach to protecting their brand, consumers, and communities.
Invest in factions. Don’t be afraid of them. Build authentic relationships with those who are aligned with your values ahead of time. Nurture their participation. Enable them with what they need so they can advocate for you. Your press release isn’t going to make much of a difference — the only thing that can stop a large faction pushing misinformation is another large and motivated faction.
Find influential groups online driving narratives that impact public opinion. Learn who supports (or opposes) your brand values so you can build allies or avoid getting sideswiped.
