1. Avoiding DEI Doesn’t Protect Your Brand 

The political climate is changing, and brands feel pressured to roll back DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies to avoid boycotts being “canceled” and hashtags such as #GoWokeGoBroke. But here’s the reality: avoiding controversy doesn’t equal avoiding backlash, and it won’t shield your brand reputation. Disinformation campaigns exploit divisive topics, fueling both sides of debates to erode trust and amplify negativity. Bad actors will find an angle to attack whether a company takes a stance or avoids one. Brands must shift their focus to identifying and combating disinformation campaigns, which can weaponize any conversation.

2. Hashtag Hijacking Will Escalate

In 2024, brands were attacked over entirely unrelated topics—like an international sportswear brand caught in election hashtags or a fashion campaign disrupted by political tensions in the Middle East. These incidents often stem from bot networks hijacking trending hashtags to promote their agendas, turning minor issues into major crises. In 2025, these attacks will intensify, amplifying false narratives and fake news faster than ever.

3. Rethinking Crisis Management: Adapting for Success in 2025

Traditional crisis management practices—quick customer service responses and public appeasement—are less effective in today’s landscape. Social media teams often face challenges with fake profiles, bot networks, and misleading content, while brands pull costly campaigns due to artificially inflated backlash. Disinformation spreads rapidly and more persistently than authentic information, potentially reaching millions. To navigate this, brands can benefit from adopting data-driven strategies to identify and address disinformation at its source.

4. Fake Campaigns Will Fuel Divisive Influencers

Negativity on social media isn’t new, but in 2025, it will be supercharged. Coordinated campaigns will continue to elevate divisive influencers, creating the illusion of popularity. These bad actors thrive on chaos, using anger and mistrust to manipulate online discourse. Brands must identify authentic voices and prioritize genuine engagement to counter the disproportionate impact of fake negativity.

5. Telling the Real From the Fake: A Challenge and an Opportunity

In 2024, AI became a powerful tool for disinformation. Deepfake technologies have advanced to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from reality. We saw this with events like the Pentagon explosion, Trump’s arrest, and Biden’s hospitalization that caused widespread chaos. Brands like Netflix, Google, Zara, and Coca-Cola faced coordinated attacks amplified by fake profiles, severely damaging their reputations.

The challenge of distinguishing real from fake has never been greater – but it also presents an opportunity. Emerging AI-driven tools can sift through the noise, identifying coordinated attacks, fake profiles, GenAI content, and deepfakes. These tools will uncover authentic communities, real influencers, and positive discourse, allowing brands to respond quickly and mitigate attacks effectively.

As disinformation rises in 2025, countering malicious AI with AI for good will enable brands to focus on authentic narratives and anticipate tough questions – before they are even asked.