JAKARTA, INDONESIA — To help brands combat threats to their reputations posed by fake news, Vero, a leading PR and digital agency in the ASEAN region, has unveiled a PR playbook that identifies the reputational pitfalls of fake news and disinformation attacks and suggests preventative measures businesses can take to protect themselves.
The playbook, which is available for download on Vero’s website, reviews the types of bad actors often behind disinformation attacks – trolls, market manipulators, and unethical competitors – and offers analysis of the three major risk zones for disinformation attacks businesses face: activities related to brand, such as product launches and brand ambassadors; activities related to corporate activity, such as mergers and acquisitions; and activities related to people, such as statements by executive leadership.
“We live in the age of disinformation, and in many situations, the bad actors have the upper hand,” said Vero Managing Director Brian Griffin. “It is impossible to stop disinformation attacks entirely, so business and brand leaders should take a proactive approach to managing this threat, using careful monitoring of online conversations and communicating regularly to build trust with stakeholders in preparation for such attacks.”
There are a number of well-known cases in which disinformation attacks damaged brands in Indonesia. From January 2020 to May 23, 2021, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Kemenkominfo) revealed that there were 1,587 fake news attacks around Covid-19 that were found on social media.
Today, much of the disinformation in Indonesia is focused on the vaccination program.
“Fake contents are typically shared on social platforms to create emotional responses,
mainly fear and hatred, and dividing people’s opinion,” said Diah Andrini Dewi Account Director Vero Indonesia. “Today we see evidence that many Indonesians are reluctant to get vaccinated because of fake news and disinformation around how vaccines are produced and conspiracy theories related to vaccines. And moreover, fake news related to COVID-19 is just one example. There are many other risk zones for disinformation attacks and so it is very important for business leaders to protect their brands from disinformation that could negatively impact business and brand image.”
In addition to highlighting threats, the playbook also offers several suggestions to prepare for and minimize the impact of a disinformation attack: put a crisis response team in place, review vulnerable risk zones, make a list of keywords for social listening, build a reservoir of trust with consistent and transparent communication, manage owned media, be prepared to debunk falsehoods, and engage social media platforms to neutralize bad actors.
“Brands should establish owned media channels and use them to communicate clearly and consistently. This will help them build trust, ensuring their audience listens when they must defend themselves against rumors and false news stories,” said Vero Chief Communications Officer Pattanee Jeeriphab. “Pure and simple truth, when conveyed effectively from a trusted source, has the power to both dispel falsehoods and enhance trust – especially in this age when truth is so hard to come by.”
