5 things to consider before putting together a social media campaign
When it comes to creating a successful social media campaign, there are some important dos and don’ts to keep in mind. The Call of Duty twitter campaign that took place in Singapore is a prime example of an idea that didn’t quite work out the way they expected it to. Faking reports of a terrorist attack was distasteful and quite disturbing.
Here are five things to consider before putting together a social media campaign, to ensure it’s successful and achieves the results you want.
1. Create content that is audience appropriate
Every successful campaign begins with understanding your target audience: their demographics, socioeconomic profile, tastes and preferences. Then, focus on creating content that caters to that profile, using the right tone and language. Remember that social media is a platform for broadcasting your company’s brand and values. The key is, be sure that every post or tweet is appropriate to your target audience and is working to build the right image.
2. Make sure images aren’t offensive
Nothing says ‘social media fail’ faster than an offensive image. Take, for example, the infamous US Airways tweet featuring a pornographic image in response to a disgruntled customer. Although the image was said to be posted by accident, it remained online for an hour – long enough for it to make the rounds of social media. The irony is that the entire incident could have been prevented with the proper checks in place. The lesson? Develop formal procedures around posting, and never send anything out unless it’s been approved.
3. Risk factor – is it worth it?
While there are numerous examples of companies going out on a limb and succeeding brilliantly, there are just as many times where taking a risk has flopped. So, the question is, should you take a risk? The answer is: it depends. While being humorous and provocative has its rightful place in advertising, having fun at the expense of others never does. If a campaign pokes fun at race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual preference or handicap, leave it out.
4. Avoid bad timing
When you post can be just as important as what you post. Thanks to a proliferation of automated social media marketing tools that let you schedule posts in advance, timing can have unintended consequences. As a case in point, when the American NRA (National Rifle Association) sent out a pre-scheduled “Good morning shooters” tweet in 2012, what they didn’t know was that a tragic shooting had just taken place in Colorado earlier that day. If you plan on scheduling your posts, it’s a good idea to also have some human checks and balances in place.
5. Make sure references are correct
Cyberspace is an unforgiving place, so it’s always better to catch your mistakes before you post, not after. This includes double-checking (and double-checking again) to make sure your references are 100 per cent correct. If you can’t verify a reference, don’t include the material in your campaign.
Creating a great campaign isn’t rocket science, but it does require foresight and planning. By carefully considering every aspect of your social media campaign, you’ll go a long way in creating the type of successful campaign that produces the results you want.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
Mass AI-generated content has overwhelmed our social feeds, and that has set a sense of panic among PR leaders. Brand communications were tricky earlier, but this has been exasperated even further by AI content. Audiences have been left confused, whether it be not being able to differentiate between real and fake personalities online or fake statements being circulated to mislead audiences. This has kept leadership wondering how they can cut through and impact their target audiences who are, at the moment, overstimulated with AI-driven content.
We analysed 30M data points between 1st January 2025 - 12th August 2025 globally on social and mainstream media like X, Forums, Online news, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. We looked at real world cases of how audiences have been misled to believe something is real, and how this started a domino effect on the content being consumed by the world today.
The rise of synthetic content outranks fact-checkers by a mile
Synthetic media has taken over the internet and audience feeds have been flooded with unrelated and unreliable AI content. What's important to note is that, with mass AI content, unreliability can lead to getting into a dangerous spiral of consuming nonsensical content that does not benefit anybody. As a result, audiences have started to defend the content they see by wanting to only subscribe to what conforms with their expectations. With a decline in the number of fact-checkers, misinformation and disinformation have become rampant.
A real word case was when in the US a squirrel named Peanut “P-Nut” was given euthanasia for being illegally kept by a US citizen, a fake statement by President Donald Trump, in disagreement with the euthanasia by the authorities, was widely circulated on X. Audiences sympathised with this statement and stood by Trump, going as far as gathering support to make him the next President. This was a snowball effect, and the reason this happened was because the audiences had a public figure support what they were already thinking and Trump’s statement conformed with their expectations. Although the statement did not have any AI-involvement, it has become a case in point to understand how audiences perceive AI content. If they like what they see, whether it is human or AI, not a second is spared to confirm its authenticity.
Virtual influencers are creeping in on social media feeds
Mia Zelu, a virtual influencer, grew popular during this year's Wimbledon. On her Instagram, she had uploaded a photo carousel that looked like she was physically there at the All England Club enjoying a drink. At first, she seemed real, but the media and audiences quickly questioned it. She posted the images in July of this year during the tournament with a caption, but was quick to disable her comment section adding to the mystery and debate. There was a lot of online backlash with audiences clearly frustrated with how easily deceiving this could be. Despite the backlash, her follower count grew and her account now has about 168k followers.
The conversations around AI influencers is only just beginning and raises serious questions on authenticity, digital consumption and how AI personas can truly affect audience perceptions - without truly existing.
AI means brands are operating in a space of reduced trust
According to the AI Marketing Benchmark Report 2024, the trust deficit directly impacts brand communications strategies, as 36.7% of marketers worry about the authenticity of AI-driven content, while 71% of consumers admit they struggle to trust what they see or hear because of AI.
Audiences are not rejecting AI outright, but the opacity around it could be dangerous, making their confidence in AI as a tool shaky. This is where PR leaders need to make authentic communication a necessity and not just a "nice-to-have". In times where audiences are doubting whether a message was written by a human or a machine, the value of genuine and sincere human-driven storytelling rises.
Real-world instances where AI as a tool misses
Scepticism towards AI doesn’t just come from high-profile controversies. It shows up in small, everyday moments that frustrate audiences and remind them how fragile trust can be.
Grok’s image blunder: A widely shared photo of a young girl begging for food in Gaza was wrongly tagged by Grok as being from Iraq in 2004. The mistake spread quickly across platforms, fuelling anger about misinformation and raising questions about the reliability of AI tools.
McDonald’s drive-thru glitch: A customer in the US posted a TikTok showing how AI at a drive-thru added nine extra sweet teas to her order. The error caused by crosstalk from another lane, might seem trivial, but it highlights how automation can fail at simple tasks and how easily those failures go viral when shared online.
Air Canada chatbot case: A customer seeking information about bereavement fares was misled by the airline’s chatbot. When the company was asked to explain this, they claimed the chatbot was “responsible for its own actions.” A Canadian tribunal then, rejected this defence and ordered Air Canada to compensate the passenger. The incident drew widespread coverage, reinforcing public concerns that businesses are over-relying on AI without accountability.
Audiences expect to consume "more real and less fake"
The November 2024 Coca-Cola holiday campaign controversy exemplifies how quickly AI-generated content can trigger consumer backlash. When Coca-Cola used AI to create three holiday commercials, the response was overwhelmingly negative, with both consumers and creative professionals condemning the company's decision not to employ human artists. Despite Coca-Cola's defense that they remain dedicated in creating work that involves both human creativity and technology, the incident highlighted how AI usage in creative content can be perceived as a betrayal of brand authenticity, particularly devastating for a company whose holiday campaigns have historically celebrated human connection and nostalgia.
This kind of response to a multinational company really sets the record straight around what audiences expect to consume. PR leaders and marketers need to tread carefully when creating content, making sure there's no over-dependence on AI and that is obvious for anyone to point out there is no human creativity. Authenticity is in crisis only when we let go of our control around AI. This mandates a need for more fact-checkers and more audits around brands and leadership.
Interested in learning how Isentia can help? Fill in your details below to access the full Authenticity Report 2025 that uncovers cues for measuring brand and stakeholder authenticity.
Mass AI-generated content has overwhelmed our social feeds, and that has set a sense of panic among PR leaders. Brand communications were tricky earlier, but this has been exasperated even further by AI content. Audiences have been left confused, whether it be not being able to differentiate between real and fake personalities online or fake […]
Unreliable AI content is on the rise and fact-checkers have continually declined, that has made any content's online authenticity questionable. Misinformation is rising and undeniably on an upward trend. How can PR leaders navigate a world where AI is challenging authenticity?
With virtual influencers creeping up, fake statements of leaders being circulated and the most famous LLM not living up to customer expectations, audiences have checked out and find it hard to believe what's real. Mass AI-generated content is adding to the trouble, and soon brands and leaders need to strategise how this can be handled.
To access these insights, simply fill in the form below:
In this report we explore:
Rise of unreliable mass-generated AI content
Why confidence in PR leaders is slipping
Audience cues that help navigate reputational challenges
Contact us to discover more insights around the latest happenings in the social and mainstream space and how leaders are navigating this changing media landscape.
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Blog
How can PR leaders navigate a world where AI is challenging authenticity?
Explore how PR leaders must analyse audience cues of online content to see how AI can aid with responding to reputational challenges.
Every stakeholder relationship is different, and managing them effectively takes more than a one-size-fits-all approach.
From campaign planning to long-term engagement, having the right tools and strategy in place can make the difference between missed connections and meaningful impact.
This guide covers:
Identifying and understanding your key stakeholders
Mapping and modelling for influence and engagement
Equipping your team to maintain and grow strategic relationships
As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, the reputational stakes are rising. Make sense of the shifts shaping perception.
In this report, we explore how AI is being framed in Australian media, the risks comms teams should be tracking, and how public perception is shifting.
Discover:
How high-profile AI cases reshaped the conversation
Why ethical risks get more cut-through than technical wins
What audiences want to hear, and what they don’t
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Blog
How to manage your reputation in a world transformed by AI
Explore how journalism shapes trust, audience engagement, and media influence in Australia and New Zealand.
