Speakers at ICCO's Global Summit described a communications landscape that is becoming increasingly complex.

To most, it will come as no surprise that message control is becoming harder for the communications industry. Social media platforms are swamped with inaccurate information, whether from malicious actors or simply the misinformed, making it difficult for corporations to cut through. 

At this year’s ICCO Global Summit in Istanbul, one of the key messages was the need to protect corporate reputations while navigating an increasingly complex web of “interconnected risks,” including global conflicts, political polarisation and disinformation.

"In the past, the medium was the message, but now the medium is changing drastically," Erinc Ergenc, a financial journalist at Forbes, told Communicate magazine. “Selecting and structuring the right message is important, and it should reach stakeholders and their communities."

Ergenc emphasised that companies are no longer just creating products, but also content. As the media environment has evolved, he believes corporations need to be more direct and proactive in their communications strategies. “Companies should focus on being more accessible and transparent, and share more information through their own corporate websites,” he said. “If you do not create your own content, something else will become your content.”

In today’s digital age, where “lies spread six times faster than the truth,” according to Ergenc, companies need to do more than just release occasional statements and, instead, actively shape the narrative around their brand. Paul Holmes, founder of PRovoke Media, reinforced this at the summit, saying: “There is a demand problem, and platforms have a vested interest in keeping people misinformed.” Communications professionals are not only battling misinformation, but also the algorithms that promote it.

The rise of online 'bots' is further complicating message control for corporates. Onur Varol, assistant professor at Sabanci University, explained how bots contribute to “fake amplification” on social media platforms. “As humans, we have the illusion that if something is popular, we are more likely to believe it,” he told Communicate magazine.

An additional challenge is the European Union’s ‘Right to be forgotten’ legislation, which allows accounts to delete themselves and their content instantly. “It is getting harder to differentiate between what is organic and what is malicious,” said Varol.

Varol believes that gaining a deep understanding of your audience is essential. “Get to know and understand your audience so you can identify unusual shifts and changes,” he advised. “Don’t allow fake followers and be careful curating your networks."