By Amit Relan
A brand takes several years to build a strong reputation and image. When it comes to social media, innovative strategies, intriguing content, consistency, and a lot more goes into establishing a strong digital presence. Social media accounts are an integral part of a brand’s online presence. They help build connections between the brand and its followers and consumers and develop brand loyalty. As much as social media is a boon to our online presence, malicious activities need just a few seconds to destroy it. In one moment, brands have a strong image, and in the next, their reputation is at stake, and they have lost their customers’ trust!
Brand infringement: A threat to brand value and image
In today’s social media-savvy world, brand infringement is a pertinent issue. Unauthorised and illegitimate use of a brand’s identity, whether name, trademark, logo, product design, social media accounts, or any other intellectual property can cause confusion among customers and potentially dilute its value. What’s the worst that can happen? Brands can incur financial losses, end up in legal battles, and even lose their customers’ trust and loyalty, further tampering with their reputation.
Brand infringement can take various forms, such as counterfeit products, cybersquatting, and unauthorised online advertising. Digital infringements include identifying and blacklisting fake sites and social media handles, listing fake customer care contact numbers, fraudulent brand communication monitoring, APK copycat apps, protection from account overs, and more.
The ‘fake’ social media scam
Brand impersonation on social media is a common instance of brand infringement nowadays, usually carried out through phishing and spoofing (brand hijacking). Fake media social accounts fall under the second category and are used to deceive and troll people. They impersonate brands for several reasons, including spreading false information, increasing their followers, conducting financial frauds, etc. Scammers also drop negative comments, engage with audiences, harass them online, and post inappropriate content. It would appear to people that the brand is doing this, which can cause a dent in brand perception.
Any negative experience with the brand can strain its relationships with its customers and lead to loss of customer loyalty and negative publicity. For every misconduct by scammers, the brand has to pay a hefty price, which could include maligning its reputation. Hence, staying vigilant in identifying such issues and taking preventive measures is essential.
Today, social media handles are the brand’s face for the consumers. However, challenges pertaining to social media scams are coming to light. While brands across sectors are at risk, BFSI, real estate, and FMCG industries are highly vulnerable. Take, for instance, a leading real estate brand that was able to identify fake social media handles impersonating it and track unauthorised Facebook ads using its logo/IP detected. Using state-of-the-art solutions, it conducted scans for similar URLs, pages, and websites about similar keywords, content, or visuals in the global digital ecosystem. Another multinational manufacturer could detect fake job promotions promoted on social media platforms to mislead job seekers with the help of such advanced tools.
In another incident in February this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) warned students and parents about fake social media accounts spreading false information about the body. 30 fake accounts impersonating the CBSE were identified, and the board cleared its stance to combat the spread of misinformation and protect its image in the public eye. This is the ideal approach to follow. However, in order to be prepared to deal with such malicious activities, what brands require is a robust online reputation management (ORM) framework in place.
Safety and protection is one’s own responsibility
As much as brands must be vigilant against evolving threats, it is equally important to educate audiences about such incidents. This will create awareness and encourage them to be cautious and trust only the official accounts. Zerodha addressed this issue two years ago on its LinkedIn profile. This was a smart move to connect with audiences and share their opinion on such a pressing issue while simultaneously educating people about the company’s legitimate social media handles.
It is not only the brands, but even the government and several nodal and regulatory bodies have been victims of such malicious activities. Addressing a recent alarming situation, the Union Home Ministry’s cybercrime unit issued an advisory for the citizens to verify the authenticity of suspicious e-notices received via email. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) then released a public ad urging people to cross-check the officials’ names mentioned in the notices and call the department listed to confirm its legitimacy. The I4C warned the public to be cautious against such fake emails disguised as government notices, as they could lead to cyber fraud.
To sum up
Brands invest years in building their image and online presence. Threats to brand image and safety are increasing rapidly, and there is a looming concern. It’s crucial that they know and evaluate the impact of fake social media accounts. Brand reputation damage and shakeable customer trust have a long-term impact but can be prevented with a proactive approach and strong online reputation management strategy.
Maintaining brand integrity in the digital ecosystem requires a multifaceted approach combining technological solutions, proactive monitoring, and public education. As threats continue to evolve, brands must stay vigilant and adaptable to protect their hard-earned reputations and maintain trust with their consumers in the ever-changing digital landscape.
The author is co-founder and CEO of mFilterIt. (Views expressed are the author’s own and not necessarily those of financialexpress.com)