Reputation is built over years but can be destroyed in an instant. As humanity continues to immerse itself in the digital reality, this phrase is becoming increasingly true, exposing risks that were unimaginable just a short time ago. But how serious are these new challenges? Is it possible to effectively fight them, and can one truly protect their good name once and for all?
Catherine Glazunova Director of Strategic and Crisis Communications at the ADVES agency, Reputation Management and PR Expert
Table of Contents
A Non-Mythical Threat
Information, in itself, can be destructive: Papa John’s founder John Schnatter was forced to step down as CEO following a scandal sparked by his careless remarks on racial issues, while shares of Activision Blizzard, one of the leading gaming companies, fell by almost 7% after information surfaced about attempts to cover up harassment issues. As it turned out later, these were reliable facts, but they still cost the brands and the people associated with them dearly. It’s not hard to imagine the damage that deliberate misinformation can cause.
Screenshot: Example of a news story published on the NPR website.
For instance, the company Emulex found itself at the center of a scandal that wiped out half of its market capitalization. However, there were no mistakes on the part of the company’s management—malicious actors simply sent out a press release under the company’s name, claiming the CEO had resigned and that financial projections would be revised. The news reached Bloomberg, and in just minutes, the company’s stock dropped from $104 to $43. This was just one case from the 2000s, a time when traditional media still held significant power, and spreading disinformation was no simple task.
Screenshot: Example of a news story published on the CBS News website.
Today, things are much simpler: those wishing to spread fake information often turn to social media, specialized portals that are ready to publish anything under the guise of “information,” and even entire agencies willing to flood the internet with a mass of misleading data for a fee. The goal of these activities is to create a negative information field about a person or company, which then spreads to the media and fills the top search results.
Seeing fake accusations when trying to Google your name or your company’s name is the nightmare of any manager or business owner. Potential partners, colleagues, or even regulators are often unwilling to listen to excuses. Moreover, the negative perception—whether false or not—can lead to a multitude of problems of various kinds and put a company in the position of having to defend itself. And this is hardly the best background when negotiating a major deal or publishing a report. According to experts, the number of fakes online has increased tenfold between 2021 and the end of 2023, and today, with the emergence of new technologies, this number continues to rise.
Unreliable influencers, deepfakes, anonymous Telegram channels, full-scale information attacks, and the lingering effects of the still-relevant cancel culture—these are all powerful tools for those who choose the path of dishonest combat. Fighting such activity is challenging, but there is a way forward: it lies in taking proactive measures.
Readiness for Anything
Reputation is a real asset, and its protection needs to be considered in advance. The foundation of everything is the team: a group of like-minded individuals driven to achieve results. This group can include not only PR managers but also security specialists, lawyers, and other professionals. Together, they ensure both the creation of conditions for reputational security and the quick response to emergencies—after all, any information attack should be treated as such.
The start of any reputation management work is based on monitoring: without knowing the general situation, it is impossible to judge tone changes, quickly identify negativity, or anticipate the beginning of an information attack. By understanding how false information is introduced into the information space, you can both predict the next steps and identify the source, neutralizing it before the false information spreads across the network.
It’s also useful to develop response scenarios for the most likely attacks, and to ensure there are additional communication channels with the audience and media—because if there’s only one channel, a business may go unheard if it’s hacked.
Action Algorithm in Case of an Attack
- First and foremost, it’s necessary to assess the false claims and analyze the credibility of the sources. This will help form an accurate understanding of the threat and risks from the outset. Sometimes, false claims are spread across hundreds of X accounts, which collectively only attract about 200 views. Responding to such an attack is meaningless—an official denial would only draw additional attention to the fake claims.
- If the threat is tangible and real, after assessing and classifying it, you should immediately begin preparing a response to the accusations and formulate the brand’s position. This position must be communicated to the media, and partners and clients should be informed about the actual situation. It also helps to identify the person or entity behind the fake—ideally, to hold them accountable. For all points except the last, actions should be taken quickly to disrupt the spread of negative information. The legal aspect should be prepared thoroughly, keeping in mind that defamation laws are still in effect.
- Lawyers can also assist in removing blatantly false publications—materials that are published solely to overshadow the search results with negativity. In such cases, removal of false information can often be achieved by sending pre-litigation claims to the party responsible for the platform where the material was published. This is a useful tool, but it must be applied correctly: together with efforts to replace the negativity in search results with positive news and publications, the information attack can be neutralized in a short time.
Put Emotions Aside
No matter what form false publications take, their goal is to throw the target off balance and make them make mistakes in responding to the fake message, which no one will see. Therefore, it is important not to perceive false information as a personal attack or a call to any form of conflict.
Thus, among the things you definitely should not do are ideas for either an overly aggressive or excessively passive reaction. For example, it’s not advisable to look for ways to launch counterattacks or remain silent, giving the initiators of negative publications the initiative: such measures will not minimize the damage, but rather make the consequences worse.
When it comes to reputation protection, every step matters, and a business’s response to negativity can say more than the accusation itself: no company benefits from a reputation for defending its interests using “dirty” schemes and methods. The opposite is true as well: consistency, readiness for challenges, careful planning, and sober evaluations will allow you to emerge victorious from almost any situation. This is the primary goal to work towards. And as experience shows, the efforts invested in reputation pay off many times over.
Source reference: станьбрендом.рф