Luxury car brand Jaguar faced a tidal wave of criticism online following a new advertising campaign. The protest appeared to be based on authentic, organic dissatisfaction, condemning the company for “promoting woke aesthetic over luxury and performance.” However, while analyzing the online backlash around Jaguar, Cyabra uncovered a fake campaign that was part of an orchestrated effort to tarnish the brand’s image and reputation.
The magnitude of the attack against Jaguar is a stark example of how coordinated disinformation can ignite a firestorm, weaponizing social media platforms and inflicting significant reputational damage on major brands.
TL;DR?
- Thousands of profiles negatively discussed Jaguar, using the hashtags #BoycottJaguar, #GoWokeGoBroke, and the derogatory #Faguar to attack the brand
- 18% of the profiles that promoted #BoycottJaguar and 20% of the profiles that promoted #Faguar were fake, generating thousands of posts that generated almost half a million views.
- Cyabra’s analysis uncovered a bot network that was previously used during the US election to promote pro-Trump content, now repurposed to attack Jaguar
- Fake profiles also significantly contributed to the spreading and amplifying negative coverage about Jaguar. Negative coverage amounted to 3,788 negative articles in one single week.
When an Online Crisis Shifts Gears
The backlash against Jaguar started on November 19, when Jaguar released its new campaign, “Copy Nothing.” As the hashtags #BoycottJaguar, #GoWokeGoBroke began trending, accompanied by the derogatory #Faguar, fake profiles infiltrated the conversation and amplified the negative sentiment, creating the illusion of widespread discontent.
Cyabra monitored the massive rise in negative sentiment against Jaguar, which at its peak, on November 21, amounted to 80% of the conversation (with a 5:1 negative-to-neutral/positive posts ratio).
Negative sentiment against Jaguar started rising on November 19 and peaked on the 21
Cyabra’s analysis revealed that 18% of accounts using #BoycottJaguar and 20% behind the #Faguar hashtag were fake, as part of a coordinated campaign that systematically weaponized hashtags like #GoWokeGoBroke to amplify outrage and escalate crises among companies.
Even more striking, one of the predominant bot networks involved in the Jaguar backlash was not new to disinformation spreading: Cyabra identified that the same bot network was part of a recent disinformation campaign surrounding President-elect Trump during the presidential race. While election bots are often repurposed for the next political influence operation effort, the fact they were now casually and easily harnessed to attack Jaguar shows how likely it has become for brands to become victims of disinformation and fake profiles.
Fake profiles using #BoycottJaguar to attack the brand
The fake profiles involved in attacking Jaguar did not only show the ability to utilize and enhance trending negative hashtags to manipulate the conversations: they also used the numerous negative media coverages to further amplify the backlash. An example of this tactic was an article in The Daily Wire that criticized Jaguar, titled “Like Watching a Car Crash: Jaguar’s Disastrous New Ad”. This article became a central element in the fake coordinated campaign attacking Jaguar on Facebook: of the hundreds of shares and reposts it gained, 52% were made by fake profiles, giving the article another push just as it was fading, and causing it to resurface and regain the interest of authentic profiles. The article, one of 3,788 articles that negatively discussed Jaguar, gained a total of 11,400 interactions.
Fake profiles amplified the Daily Wire article, causing the trend to expand and last longer.
Jaguar’s automatic, generic responses added fuel to the fire, both by amplifying the negative comments and by not addressing the dissatisfaction. The X account @CanuckCrusaderX who responded to Jaguar’s post gained 3.4 million views, and played a significant role in promoting the calls for boycott. Fake profiles also took part in amplifying this viral post.
@CanuckCrusaderX call for a boycott going viral
Can Brands Exit the Fast Lane to Disinformation?
The Jaguar case study illustrates a harsh truth:
- Fake profiles are potent tools for shaping narratives and influencing public perception.
- Disinformation spreads rapidly, often outpacing a brand’s ability to respond effectively.
- Reputational damage can occur in hours, with long-lasting consequences for brand value and trust.
Tackling online backlash has always been a challenge for brands. The changes in the political climate and the rise of online criticism, combined with the fear of being “canceled,” have caused many brands to take extra caution with their marketing strategy and steer away from political topics.
However, when fake profiles are involved, there really is no way to stay safe against online issues and backlash. Fake profiles can latch onto any hashtag, any false narrative, any slightly trending issue – and transform it into a major reputational and financial crisis in a blink.
In this new playing field for bad actors, classic crisis management methods have become irrelevant. Brands must adopt proactive measures to safeguard their reputation, and engage in continuous monitoring of online attacks and disinformation campaigns. This method is most useful when using AI disinformation detection tools, which can both detect toxic narratives and online attacks, but more importantly, analyze the forces behind it, identify the fake profiles involved in the discourse, and detect their influence on public discourse.
Contact Cyabra to learn how to better protect your brand against online manipulation and prevent reputational and financial damage.
