Media companies in particular know the importance of trust very well, as they have been struggling with a loss of trust among the population for years due to fake news, forum posts, lateral thinkers, etc. But to what extent does this declining trust in media also affect corporate brands? And how can people's general loss of trust in the media be counteracted? These questions, among others, were explained as part of the ÖMG panel discussion.

The different interpretation of facts

Alexander Oswald, President of the ÖMG and moderator, asked right at the beginning whether it was just a subjective impression in the third year of the global pandemic that a state of excitement in the face of conspiracy theories and fake news is permanent. Andre Wolf, press spokesman for Mimikama, the association against internet abuse, said: “A lot has changed since 2014. Social media platforms have become suitable for the masses. Communication is no longer one-sided, but dialogic and networked. Today it’s our job to teach people how to deal with misinformation – for the future.”

Brands, media, trust: Austrian Marketing Society/APA Photo Service/Juhasz
Brands, media, trust: Austrian Marketing Society/APA Photo Service/Juhasz

The crises of the past few years brought a lot of false reports, bad campaigning and other damage to the basic democratic order. Then these topics were replaced by Corona, which caused global concern and a multitude of conspiracy theories. The war against Ukraine, one of the first hybrid wars, shows how much information is circulating - including a lot of false information. “We have to learn to deal with that. Not everything is new; false reports, conspiracy theories or different narratives have been circulating since the media existed. What is now necessary: ​​You have to honestly explain who the other person is and who the sender is,” says Uwe Blümel, head of PR at Ikea Austria.

Der Standard, observed for her medium : “There are topics that are highly emotional in the Standard forum. We notice: We have gained incredible reach. But many subscription cancellations are motivated by ideology.” She identifies that frustration tolerance towards other opinions has decreased. The standard forum is an added value for the daily newspaper. “We filter out what the big questions are at the moment. It is a gold treasure of knowledge and input and definitely a corrective for us,” says Siebert.

Corinna Tinkler, Director of Corporate Communications at Verbund, sees it clearly: “Crises have come more and more quickly in recent years. Especially as a utility company, you have to consistently present what you do for all Austrians.” Digital communication has become increasingly important in recent years. As a company, the association is also increasingly becoming a publisher and medium itself. Communication from and about the CEO personally has become significantly more important. It clearly underlines the transparency of the company. “You have to be careful about a society in crisis. As corporate communications you have to think about what people need to know and how you can convey this.”

Everyone in the company is a multiplier

Uwe Blümel, head of PR at Ikea Austria, explained that the crises affect different levels: “We have good contact with journalists. But customers and employees also need to be informed, for example, why they are currently not receiving a product and why the supply chain is blocked.” Ikea continues to stand by its values ​​- even if it sometimes has to accept headwinds. He adds: “As a company, we not only have a duty to our employees, but also to our consumers. After all, everyone is a multiplier.” Media collaborations are carefully thought through with regard to values.

“In politics and parties, the loss of trust began much earlier. With brands it has only now intensified. Since many developments come to Austria late, we have to learn to deal with them,” says Jürgen Hofer, editor-in-chief of Horizont . He believes it helps with brand trust when a person like a CEO is at the forefront.

Identify false narratives

The general opinion of the speakers was that social media does not work from the top down. For CEOs, LinkedIn is increasingly becoming the platform that can build trust. But what is needed here is the “role” of the explainers who provide answers, says Nana Siebert. For people who are increasingly getting “lost” in conspiracy theories, it is important to point out triggers online. They draw many users into false narratives. Sufficient education is therefore required, for example in schools (keyword: media literacy). And last but not least, it is the job of journalists to check facts, explain them and help to see through the flood of information.

This might also be of interest: Ofarim case, hotel director and media lawyer speak out! Gil Ofarim's media lawyer, Markus Hennig, speaks publicly for the first time to the NDR media magazine "ZAPP" after the Leipzig public prosecutor's office completed its investigations against his client. Continue reading …


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )