Getting real about fake news

2. Readiness

3. Recovery

4. Rapid Response

1. Radar

Awareness is key. The brand needs solid monitoring tools that cover as many media bases as possible and offer decent, fast analysis of potential impact. It is vital that any brand mention is reported with some level of analytics which can determine whether the ‘news’ – fake or otherwise - warrants a response.

Monitoring tools are a specialist topic for another space but the Ogilvy Social Intelligence approach is designed to analyse the daily evolution of your consumer, competitors, and category (and to catch any fake news stories).

Consumer

We combine social conversation and search intent to monitor your consumers’ behavior & interests and any shift in audience profile.

It includes:

• Social Listening.
  
• Search Intent Analysis.
  
• Community Analysis.

Competition

We combine qualitative and quantitative social performance data to identify how your competition is reacting during the crisis.

It includes:

• Competitive Audit.
  
• Paid Media Activity and Spend Analysis on Social Media.

Category

We investigate and measure trends to identify how categories and consumer behaviors are shifting with a specific lens on brands, publishers and influential voices who are leading in social responses.

It includes:

• Research.
  
• Key News.

Scenario planning

Work through all the possible variations of fake news stories and how damaging they could be for the brand. Every brand or category will have its own bespoke set of critical threats from fake news stories but in South Africa three ‘red alert’ areas are common to almost every brand:

• Racial issues.
  
• Product safety (including health & hygiene).
  
• Financial viability – closing down, going bankrupt, withdrawing from SA, retrenching workers.

2. Readiness

• Determine broad outlines of responses to damaging fake news stories.
  
• Identify your key spokespeople, base truths and facts & figures which support your response.
  
• Determine protocols for monitoring and reporting.
  
• Establish levels of alert to prevent a constant wave of unnecessary information washing through the system.
  1. Warrant senior notification and do no demand a response or can be dealt with in a pro-forma way.

  2. Out of the ordinary issues or those gaining some traction which warrant FYI notifications and monitoring without an immediate response or a response beyond the pro-forma.

  3. Issues presenting a clear threat of brand damage either because of the seriousness of the issue or the volume (or potential volume) of coverage.

Have a base of media contacts and reliable sources that you can mobilise to negate damaging fake news.

3. Consideration

Considerations

• Don’t panic – not all fake news is equal.
  
• Carefully (but quickly) assess impact/influence of the story.
  
• Exercise judgement and be prepared to ignore those with little credibility or following.
  
• Narrowcast where possible. Reply using mechanisms which match your response with the reach of the fake news. Do not broadcast the fake news to people who are unaware of it. Start with @complainant.
  
• Only in ‘condition red’ circumstances issue general releases and go onto a broadband front foot to negate the fake news.
  
• Use credible media outlets for your response.

Search matters

Ideally the brand’s rebuttal will feature prominently on search findings because:

• A significant percentage of consumers will either find or verify the fake news via search.
  
• It is a form of narrowcast in that only people looking for the story will find it.
  
• It locks in the brand’s response for the future
  
• Google never forgets and it is important that a rebuttal is in place to forestall future attempts to resuscitate the story.

Search placing is dependent on the usual SEO techniques:

• Clear and transparent headlines which connect to the story.
  
• Citing legitimate third-party sources or credible independent spokespeople
  
• Gaining placement in credible media which search algorithms upweight – strong relationships with journalists & editors are important in this regard.

4. Recovery

• Monitor closely to ensure that the story does not break out again in a separate space. Be quick to ensure a fresh round of appropriately targeted rebuttals.
  
• Follow-up with media houses which published the story. Not to castigate or to burn bridges but to make them aware of the fake news they published.
  
• If the matter is severe – either reputationally or financially – consider approaching the social media platforms concerned to have accounts terminated or policies altered.
  
• Assess learnings from the process and revise protocols and procedures.
  
• Be aware that, digitally, the story never dies, and you may have to keep rebutting it well into the future – keep material on file and ready to go.

Conclusion

Frontline defense against fake news

Investment in long-term brand building provides the best form of initial protection against fake news.

The stronger your brand, and its positive identity with consumers, the more resilient it will be because:

• Consumers have a loyalty, and positive perceptions, which will resist fake news.
  
• Consumers will believe your responses.
  
• Media are likely to run corrections.

However, big brands are big targets, so investment needs to be made in the monitoring and response mechanisms we have detailed in this document.

Useful links:

South African National Editors Forum: Guide to Fake News https://sanef.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/UNESCO-Journalism-Fake-News-and-Disinformation-Handbook-for-Journalism-Education-and-Training-2018.pdf

CNN Report on Fake News Industry https://money.cnn.com/interactive/media/the-macedonia-story/

Facebook Efforts to Combat Fake News https://web.facebook.com/facebookmedia/blog/working-to-stop-misinformation-and-false-news

Contact

Patrick Conroy
Head of Strategy – Ogilvy Public Relations
az.oc.rpyvligo@yornoc.kcirtap

Melissa Attree
Creative Director - Ogilvy Public Relations
az.oc.yvligo@eertta.assilem