Managing your brand in the world of deepfakes and propaganda

In the biggest election year in history, it’s more important than ever to think about which news sources you can trust and what to do if you suspect a ‘fact’ isn’t true. And since, in the fight for attention, news and advertising are inextricably linked (finding the latest news is a big reason your target audience picks up their phone and sees your brand – so it’s the context for nearly everything they see online) we all have responsibilities as we market a brand or inhabit these online spaces.

Citizen journalists empowered by algorithmic lawmakers

Today’s technology means every person is equipped to become a citizen journalist in a heartbeat. The most motivated citizen ‘publishers’ are those with the strongest views or the ones most determined to attract high traffic with clickbait sensationalism. Obviously, in the ‘traditional’ news companies, the old model of newsrooms and editors still exists, and most of those do apply the professional rigour of fact-checking, balance of coverage and corroboration… but everywhere else people can simply go around it: anyone can publish a convincing-looking story directly to social media. Lawmakers are way behind and base the regulation on the newsroom model where owners, publishers and reporters are traceable. But outside main channels the ‘lawmakers’ are of course the algorithms and policies within big-name tech companies – and neither system is perfect, so it’s always worth checking the validity or biases of sources. As former US Senator Daniel Moynihan said, ‘everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.’

I’ve always actually said I was quite comfortable with giving more power to people and their phones and nuisance ‘misinformation’ at this level has been historically fairly easy to spot. But has this all changed? With the uptick in deepfake and hyper-realistic AI photos we can no longer regard photos or videos as any more reliable, when everyone has the ability to use AI to generate often undetectable yet ‘real’ looking media.

Websites like fullfact.org can be very helpful on checking bigger stories if you’re unclear. But there’s another level to fake news, which is active disinformation also known as propaganda: complex and deliberate campaigns by groups or governments to sow disharmony at home or abroad by highlighting discord, or trying to undermine trust in high-profile people and organisations. Propaganda like this has always proliferated when countries are adversaries. It may be far more sophisticated and quietly prevalent today, but the goal is the same as always – to fabricate or amplify the convenient news, discredit inconvenient stories and undermine the trust in their sources, and it can even be decades or centuries in the making.

Countries are carefully curated brands

You just have to consider North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Israel or the UK during the Brexit turmoil to see evidence of this. Yet, according to a report by researchers at Oxford University, 70 countries experienced organised disinformation campaigns in 2018 - and one of the major players in the global disinformation order is China.

The evolving information landscape, fuelled by rapid advances in generative AI, is forcing governments worldwide to rethink their role in combating disinformation and misinformation. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently highlighted a critical issue: mis- and disinformation pose a severe threat to the fact-based exchange underpinning democratic debate. This is particularly alarming in Africa, where the Africa Center for Strategic Studies reported that disinformation campaigns have infiltrated every region, with 39 countries being targeted. Russia stands as the major player, behind 80 documented campaigns in over 22 countries—accounting for almost 40% of all disinformation efforts across the continent.

For marketers, this is a stark reminder that safeguarding the authenticity of information and narratives is critical. The challenge lies not only with governments but with brands too. Whether you're navigating emerging markets or established industries, keeping your messaging transparent and grounded in truth is vital for maintaining trust.

We have to ask ourselves the question: are social media platforms creating space for public deliberation and democracy, or are they amplifying content that keeps citizens addicted, disinformed, divided and angry? There’s an ironic balancing act here: as brand owners we want to stand out for the right reasons, but we need to act fast if our brand is somehow associated with any disinformation, and while a few brave and singular brands would choose to create links with visible protests, or other communications that polarise political opinion, most would prefer to do the opposite.

What does this mean for how brands show up online?

It’s increasingly complicated, messy and tied up in global geopolitics and technological advances and continues to affect how brands show up online. There are no straightforward solutions or ‘dos and don’ts’, but there is one thing I’m sure of – it’s absolutely crucial to have a communications strategy for wherever you appear in front of your audiences, and the capacity to flexibly manage both straightforward and extraordinary times. You never know what news will break next that you need to respond to, avoid or manage. Consumers increasingly expect brands to have a stance on current issues, which presents a very delicate balancing act. Just look at the online reaction during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 when many companies faced criticism for posting black squares and hashtags on social media, only to stop there without taking further meaningful action.

While we’re quite skilled at helping out when there’s a crisis to respond to, we prefer to focus on the positive to build reputation and trust in the non-crisis times. That means shrinking the circle and pinpointing who to trust with your brand reputation – both direct partners and those you work with to secure traditional and social media coverage.

At KISS we like to spend time focusing in on your target audience, then finding small groups of influencers and journalists who are seen and trusted by that target audience. The days of ‘spray and pray’ releases are long over. Selecting influencers who align with your company values also helps you build trust and authenticity. When we work directly with a smaller, hand-picked group, we increase the chances of the right coverage, we secure ongoing dialogue for you and we reduce the chances of your ad or story appearing somewhere unsuitable, irrelevant or downright risky.