Articulo_1_EN_Doxa_31_Learning_about_reputational

Therefore, we have found that the people in charge of the reputation of Spanish companies are aware that a disinformation crisis in the networks represents a clear reputational risk, and this view is shared by virtually all of the professionals (98%). This figure is a relevant indicator if we take into account that a significant part of the sample includes large companies, which are considered more vulnerable by those who want to undermine brands. We have confirmed that this risk should be avoided and aggregated among the combined set of corporate risks in order to help organisations evaluate and improve their internal control systems for corporate reputation.

Bearing in mind that no brand is immune from a disinformation attack and that the professionals surveyed acknowledge that they must confront serious reputational risks, one assumes that a company dealing with fake news may see its reputation become unbalanced, and it may have to carry out important tasks with uncertain outcomes due to the involvement of various actors in media manipulation, and also due to the novelty of such a crisis and a lack of experience in dealing with these situations.

In view of the fact that people find it difficult to know whether they are facing a story that is true or false, and that customers reject brands with which they have had negative experiences, it is necessary for a company to invigilate its statements as well as comments made by others about the company. Therefore, the control and monitoring of the digital universe of internet is a recommendation of consultancy companies.

As such, foresight is the solution to the reputational risk of disinformation and fake news. The other important factor is the creation of a strong corporate narrative maintained over time based on a solid company reputation and good communication using social media efficiently and creatively in order to achieve a degree of trust that will disable or mitigate disinformation and falsehoods.

The change in citizen behaviour that occurred during the period of confinement involved new demands, values, perceptions and concerns regarding brands. All of these issues resulted from diverse causes that included transformations with technological, social and cultural features, together with the fact that digitisation had empowered the consumer with new tools, which has made reputation management a strategic task that needs to be carried out now more than ever. The most dangerous expression of this change in citizen behaviour is reflected in the so-called Fake News, as the WHO has warned. The two faces of falsehoods, which include the ability to discredit those who want to harm a company and the susceptibility of the receiver to fall into the trap, has forced companies to observe the problem as a highly difficult situation, due to the fact that the features of disinformation are out of control. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, as consumers are gaining awareness and undermining the actions of haters by questioning all negative comments made about a company on the networks. However, it should be noted that this usually occurs under normal circumstances. In exceptional and unusual cases, we have seen how any piece of news that goes viral can be believed, and that statements made by the media are often trusted.

The circumstances we are currently confronting demonstrate that the fight against disinformation is urgent and complex. The ease with which fake news is spread is detrimental to companies, as we have found that people prefer to obtain information about a brand from friends and family. In other words, the setting of close relations is the most trustworthy of all and takes precedence over the comments organisations make about themselves. This situation creates a two-