CEO of Placid Ventures
In October 1929, Black Thursday sent shockwaves through financial markets, eroding trust in the economy. Less than a decade later, in 1938, Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast caused widespread panic, with audiences mistaking a radio drama for reality. These moments—separated by time but united by a common theme of trust and its fragility—hold lessons for today’s communications landscape.
Fast-forward to 2025, and while Martians aren’t invading, bots and disinformation campaigns certainly are. This presents both the greatest challenge and the most significant opportunity for PR and communications professionals as they prepare for the year ahead.
The New Face of Brand Disinformation
Today, brand disinformation isn’t just a nuisance; it’s a sophisticated, fast-evolving threat. In 2023, an estimated 25% of conversations about global brands on social media were influenced by fake accounts or bots. The World Economic Forum has even ranked disinformation as the number-one global risk facing humanity. When bots attack, the damage can be catastrophic. Consider the 2022 Eli Lilly incident, where a fake tweet claiming the company would provide free insulin caused its stock to plummet by $15 billion overnight. Or the 2017 Starbucks “Dreamer Day” hoax, a disinformation campaign that spread like wildfire, forcing the brand into damage control. These events illustrate how disinformation can rapidly erode consumer trust and financial stability. Adding fuel to the fire, fake news spreads 70% faster than truth, according to a 2023 study. Combine that with advancements in AI-generated content—making fake images, videos, and narratives harder to detect—and the stakes for brands have never been higher.
The ABCs of Disinformation
To combat disinformation, we must first understand its architecture, which can be broken down into three components: Actors, Behavior, and Content.
Actors: These are the malicious players—bot farms, fake profiles, or even geopolitical entities—behind disinformation campaigns.
Behavior: This includes the tactics used to amplify false narratives, such as synchronized bot activity or high-volume posting.
Content: This is the misinformation itself—tweets, deepfake images, or manipulated videos designed to deceive.
Brands under attack often see a surge in bot-driven conversations, spiking from a typical 5-10% of social chatter to as high as 40%. At this threshold, the narrative can quickly spiral out of control, with devastating consequences for brand reputation.
Triggers for Disinformation Attacks
Disinformation campaigns are often triggered by specific events or decisions, including:
Business Decisions: Controversial decisions, such as the Bud Light debacle, often attract bot-driven backlash.
Geopolitical Events: Brands caught in geopolitical crossfire—such as those slow to exit the Russian market during the Ukraine invasion—can face targeted campaigns.
Economic Shifts: Companies grappling with inflation, like Canadian retailer Loblaws, have faced attacks for perceived profiteering.
Opportunity Attacks: Bots exploiting financial opportunities, such as fake stock promotions or illegal Netflix login sales.
Hashtag Hijacking: Bots leveraging trending hashtags to promote unrelated or harmful content, as seen with Ripcurl during the Indian elections.
Spotting and Stopping Disinformation
While disinformation is a growing challenge, it’s not insurmountable. Here are key strategies for identifying and mitigating its impact:
Detect Fake Accounts: Look for red flags like synchronized activity, high posting volume, repetitive language, and generic or inconsistent responses.
Leverage AI Tools: AI-powered platforms can detect bots, analyze social data, and provide real-time alerts on emerging threats.
Collaborate Across Teams: Managing disinformation requires coordinated efforts between social media, PR, and security teams.
Proactive crisis management is essential. Brands must act swiftly to counter harmful narratives, leveraging both technology and human expertise to safeguard trust and integrity.
Opportunities in the Fight Against Disinformation
While the challenges are immense, they also present an opportunity for innovation and leadership. As Gartner predicts, corporations will spend $500 billion on disinformation security by 2028. Communications professionals have the chance to shape the future by embracing cutting-edge solutions and fostering a culture of vigilance. Collaboration with disinformation security platforms can provide brands with actionable insights, cross-platform analysis, and early-warning systems. By complementing traditional communications strategies with advanced tools, brands can turn the tide against disinformation and restore consumer trust.
The Path Forward
As we prepare for 2025, the communications industry must adopt a forward-thinking approach to combatting disinformation. The stakes are high, but so are the rewards for those who rise to the challenge. By staying vigilant, leveraging technology, and fostering collaboration, we can protect brands from the chaos of disinformation and guide them toward a more resilient future. In the words of Alec Baldwin’s iconic Glengarry Glen Ross character, “Always Be Closing.” For today’s communications professionals, that mantra must evolve into “Always Be Combatting”—combatting disinformation, safeguarding trust, and securing the future of our industry.
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