Brands love influencers (until politics get involved)

INFLUENCER

Brands love influencers (until politics get involved)

Brands adore influencers for marketing but steer clear when politics enter the picture. With AI tools, marketing firms now predict influencers' likelihood to engage in political discourse, helping brands avoid controversy.

Here’s what you need to know

• AI tools analyse influencers' political risks: Tools like Captiv8 use AI to grade influencers’ likelihood to discuss politics, helping brands avoid unwanted associations.

• Increasing demand from brands: With the rise of the creator economy, brands are investing in tools that provide a "brand safety" grade to avoid political surprises.

• Impact on influencer marketing: As elections approach, these tools are becoming crucial for brands wanting to maintain a neutral public image.

AI tools assessing political risks

With elections looming, brands are increasingly cautious about influencers discussing politics. Tools from firms like Captiv8 analyse influencers' content and online mentions to predict political engagement, assigning safety grades that guide brands in their marketing decisions.

Growing demand for political risk analysis

Brands are asking for tools that offer detailed risk profiles, assessing years of content for potential political risks. This demand is driven by past controversies, where brands faced backlash for aligning with politically vocal influencers.

Influence on marketing strategy

As influencer marketing grows, projected to reach $480 billion by 2027, the need for political neutrality in campaigns is more critical than ever. Brands like DripDrop use these tools to ensure their influencers align with their non-political stance, safeguarding their reputation.

The digest

Wikipedia faces growing challenges from AI-generated content: With the rise of AI-generated content, Wikipedia is increasingly vulnerable to disinformation, prompting concerns about the platform's integrity despite the efforts of its 265,000 active volunteers. Wikimedia officials warn that without proper attribution, AI could spread misinformation widely, while community vigilance has helped stabilise the initial surge of AI-generated articles.

OpenAI warns of GPT-4o's 'medium risk' in political persuasion: OpenAI's GPT-4o model has been identified as posing a 'medium risk' for influencing political opinions through generated text, though it remains safe against cybersecurity and biological threats. While GPT-4o occasionally outperformed professional human writers in persuasiveness, the AI is still far from achieving autonomy or updating its own code.

Influencer activism is the new brand activism: Influencer activism, where influencers advocate for social, political, or environmental causes, is gaining traction, with 87% of consumers expecting influencers to take a stand on social issues. As consumers increasingly value influencer-led activism over brand activism, companies must carefully select influencers who align with their values to maintain credibility and foster long-term audience loyalty.

Landmark antitrust case challenges Google's search dominance: A recent ruling has found Google guilty of antitrust violations, highlighting its billion-dollar exclusivity deals that have entrenched its dominance in the search industry, limiting competition and stifling innovation. While Google plans to appeal, this case could set a significant precedent, potentially leading to measures that curb its ability to make exclusive deals and open the door to increased competition and innovation in the search sector.

Meta shuts down misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle, sparking outcry: Meta has discontinued CrowdTangle, a widely used tool for tracking misinformation on Facebook and Instagram, despite protests from researchers and journalists. Critics argue that this decision undermines transparency and hinders efforts to monitor harmful content, especially during the crucial period leading up to the U.S. presidential elections.

CREATIVITY

AI complacency threatens PR industry’s creativity

The rise of AI in public relations has brought efficiency but risks leading to complacency, warns industry expert Scott Krady. While AI tools enhance data analysis and content creation, there's a danger of losing the human touch and creativity essential for impactful storytelling.

Here’s what you need to know

• AI tools streamline tasks but risk promoting a "cut-and-paste" mentality, leading to generic work.

• Human creativity and deep thinking are irreplaceable in crafting compelling narratives and building relationships.

• The industry must use AI to enhance, not replace, the core human elements of PR work.

AI's role in PR

AI has made significant strides in monitoring, data analysis, and content creation, making PR tasks more efficient. However, relying too heavily on AI can lead to homogenous outputs and diminish the originality crucial to effective communications.

Human creativity is irreplaceable

AI cannot replicate the deep thinking, empathy, and nuanced understanding that human professionals bring to storytelling. PR firms must focus on asking the right questions, understanding their clients' unique needs, and crafting narratives that resonate on a deeper level.

The future of PR with AI

AI should be seen as a tool to enhance PR work, not replace it. By leveraging AI for efficiency, PR professionals can dedicate more time to building relationships, strategising creatively, and ensuring their work remains impactful and authentic. The key to avoiding complacency is to use AI to raise the bar, not lower it.

Tool of the week

PressPal.ai

muckrack.com/presspal 

PressPal.ai is an AI tool for PR professionals by media database company, Muck Rack, that surfaces relevant journalists based on press release keywords generated by its integrated press release creator.

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