Federal election campaign highlights business risks for brands
New forms of communication are bringing unprecedented reputational risks. The same mechanisms that amplify authentic voices can also spread undetectable misinformation.
Through the lens of the current social media-driven federal election, Ross Candido, vice president at Meltwater, looks at how brands can battle misinformation, and take control of their own narrative.
Ross Candido
2025 marks a pivotal moment in Australian political and media history: the nation’s first truly social media-driven election.
For the first time, Millennials and Gen Z voters outnumber Baby Boomers, prompting a major shift in how politicians engage with the public. Campaigning is no longer confined to press conferences or nightly news bulletins. Today’s political messaging is being delivered via Tiktok, Instagram Reels, and podcasts – amplified by influencers, memes, and algorithms.
Recent insights from Meltwater’s 2025Election Centre reveal the scale of this transformation. Political conversation, particularly around cost-of-living pressures and energy policy, have exploded across social media, with engagement levels now outpacing those of traditional media. But it’s not just the volume of content that has changed – it’s the shift in who shapes it.
Influencers like Abbie Chatfield and Ozzy Man are now at the centre of the conversation, often reaching audiences that legacy media cannot. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s viral “delulu with no solulu” moment (a response to a podcast dare) exemplifies this trend: political credibility now travels through creator culture.
Anthony Albanese on Abbie Chatfield’s podcast.
Adding to the complexity, major social platforms like Meta and X have rolled back their internal fact-checking policies, relying more heavily on community notes, potentially opening the floodgates to political content with minimal internal oversight.
In this environment, disinformation is more rampant than ever, influencing elections, distorting public discourse, and undermining consumer trust. As political ad spending surges in the lead-up to the Australian election, misinformation will only become harder to contain. For marketers, this raises real concerns about brand safety, narrative distortion, and unintended affiliations. Every ad placement and influencer partnership is now under greater scrutiny, as consumers look more critically at who brands align with – and why.
While these new channels offer powerful opportunities for connection, they also bring unprecedented reputational risks. The same mechanisms that amplify authentic voices can also spread misinformation – rapidly, unchecked, and often undetectable until it’s too late.
This has created a volatile digital environment where false narratives can take hold in minutes, reputations can be reshaped overnight, and brands can be swept into the chaos, whether they’re ready or not.
Trust erosion and the business risk for brands
Australia ranks as the fourth most concerned country globally about online misinformation, according to the Global Digital 2025 report. This aligns with the Edelman Trust Barometer, which places Australia in the world’s least trusting category, driven by record-high fears that leaders are misleading the public.
This trust deficit has major implications for brands. Research from Cardiff and Stanford Universities shows that indirect, repeated exposure to misinformation, such as ads placed near conspiracy content, can quietly influence consumer perceptions, even when misinformation isn’t believed.
The financial stakes are high. The Baltimore School of Business estimates the global cost of misinformation at $78 billion annually – and that was before the rise of generative AI. Now, as misinformation becomes easier to produce and harder to detect, its toll on reputation is only accelerating.
Further, Gartner reports that 72% of consumers are worried about AI-generated false content, a fear that affects how they engage with ads, media, and brands themselves.
In today’s endless scroll environment, consumers rarely stop to verify before forming impressions. The fake Eli Lilly insulin tweet, which announced insulin would be free, and subsequently wiped billions off the company’s market value, shows just how fast misinformation can damage trust. But not all misinformation needs to go viral to cause harm. Indirect misinformation – especially when wrapped in humour, memes, or influencer commentary – can quietly erode brand equity, without ever making the headlines.
The most expensive tweet ever.
The role of AI: A double-edged sword
AI is now playing both sides of the misinformation war. On one hand, it is fuelling the spread of hyper-realistic fake news, deepfakes, and auto-generated propaganda. But on the other hand, it offers the most effective line of defence. Organisations that fail to keep pace risk losing control of their brand’s narrative, integrity and relevance.
The challenge today isn’t access to information – it’s about recognising threats fast enough to act in real time. Misinformation often originates well beyond an organisation’s owned or monitored channels, emerging on niche forums, fringe sites, or through organic chatter – frequently amplified by bots or bad actors. Consumers today are quick to spot inconsistency and mixed signals, especially in politically or culturally charged moments. By the time it’s detected, reputational damage may already be in motion.
This is why leading organisations are increasingly investing in AI-powered media intelligence that goes beyond social listening. Platforms like Meltwater’s Election Centre partner with experts to proactively detect misinformation spikes, sentiment shifts and risks in real-time. We recently identified a fake X account – “southoz” – responsible for over 500 AI-generated posts targeting the ALP and Prime Minister Albanese – amplifying negative narratives through manipulated images, personal attacks and mocking language.
Ultimately, trust is a strategic asset. Brands must actively track and verify how they’re being represented to maintain credibility, mitigate risk and protect their reputation. AI then becomes a powerful asset – when used responsibly.
Ross Candido
The bottom line
Social media is now the frontline of influence – and the battleground for trust. Misinformation isn’t going away. It’s evolving, becoming more sophisticated, and embedding itself more deeply into everyday digital life.
Brands can no longer rely on platforms to act as gatekeepers of truth. They must own their story, understand the landscape in which it lives, and be prepared to respond decisively when that story is challenged.
Because in 2025, the strongest brands won’t just speak the truth.
They’ll protect it.
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