Hacktivism: Are You Ready for the Online Attack?

Kaitlyn Wilkins, Chris Heydt, Heidi Hess November 2012

Hacktivism: Are You Ready for the Online Attack?

2 HACKTIVISM: ARE YOU READY FOR THE ONLINE ATTACK? NOVEMBER 2012

Table of Contents

The Purpose of this POV 3

The Era of Hacktivism 4

Companies React 5

Content: The New Battleground 7

Five Tips for Corporate Readiness 8

About Social@Ogilvy 9


The Purpose of this POV

The purpose of this POV is to provide brands with an overview of new forms of activism, in which organized groups or individual citizens leverage online and social media platforms as part of

broader issues campaigns. It also suggests a five-step readiness framework for anticipating and reacting to potential attacks.


The Era of Hacktivism

Large corporations have long been the target of activist groups, special interests and other mobilized organizations

that seek to trade on the company’s size and visibility to advance their own agenda. From picketing to letter writing campaigns on corporate issues (real or imagined), the world’s largest brands are no strangers to dealing with issues-based onslaughts.

However, social media has given activists a new weapon – and most companies find themselves unprepared to cope when the new generation of “hacktivists” appears on their virtual doorstep. Unlike the letter-writing or stunts of old, which were somewhat limited in scope and visibility, social media and digital give activists a way to besiege a company in a long-term, high- profile manner.

Online activism can spring up in many places, and those who jump on the bandwagon may have a variety of intentions. It is common to see activism targeted at brands stemming from well-organized groups looking to draw attention to issues (e.g., Greenpeace), cyber rings looking to wreak havoc (e.g., Anonymous), parody entertainment groups (e.g., Funny or Die) as well as from individual, unorganized citizens.

Some of the most common forms of hacktivism include:

�� Facebook�Protests�and�Hijacks: Swarms of activists take over a brand wall with issues-based posts, or an individual may use a highly trafficked brand wall for a singular post that gains momentum from the community.

�� Parody�Accounts: Especially in times of crisis, fake “corporate accounts” may appear, parodying a real issue and brand.

�� Spoof�Content�and�Memes: Consumers today have access to creative tools that make them as “professional” as commercial-quality advertising. Spoof content, photos and videos are common vehicles for attacks, or less serious mockeries.

�� Crowdsourcing�Contests: Organized and incentivized contest that invite consumers to create their own parody content.

�� Electronic�Terrorism: More serious forms of hacking, that may include DNS attacks, viruses or accessing proprietary company or consumer information.

Social media has leveled the activist playing field, and a single tweet or Facebook post could be as serious a threat as an organized attack by a special-interest group.


The situation

Shell: Arctic Ready Hoax

On June 7, 2012 a digital campaign was launched to rally against Shell’s Arctic drilling plans. The Campaign included:

� A counterfeit Shell website and hoax ad campaign asking for user-submitted ads in support of Arctic drilling.

� An @arcticready Twitter handle.

� A video of a staged press conference “gone wrong” with the Twitter hashtag, #ShellFAIL.

� Recruitment of select bloggers to take part in the hoax

The initial three days of the hoax resulted in more than 19.5 million impressions on Twitter and more than 39 million impressions via blog posts.

Group

Activist group Yes Labs, Greenpeace

The Corporate Response

Shell issued a corporate statement on the hoax campaign via traditional media (press release to journalists), and did not respond to the hoax in the medium where it was occurring – online. The response format and delayed statement led to additional confusion among consumers and perpetuated the duration of the coverage.

The Lesson

Tracking an activist attack and responding (if appropriate) in the medium where the issue is occurring is paramount to controlling the narrative and emphasizing the truth.

Companies React

There is no single strategy for responding to hacktivism, as each company, corporate culture and situation is

unique. However, the one universal truth is that it is impossible to separate an “online” and “offline” incident, as social media is seamlessly used by activists, advocacy groups

and the everyday citizens. Corporate reactions must recognize and react in an equally integrated fashion, or pay the consequences.

Below are some examples of well-known brands that have faced activists or issues-based brand attacks:


The situation

Kenneth Cole: #CairoTweets

After the designer himself tweeted an intensive promotional message linking his ne fall line to protest in Cairo, Cole was besieged with protest and spoof content with went viral. @KennethColePR was a fake twitter handle set up by a jokester who continued to tweet memorable one-liners akin to Cole’s faux pas. Another individual created a Photoshopped picture of a Kenneth Cole storefront with the infamous tweet decaled on a front – sparking days long debate about its authenticity.

Group

Individuals and unorganized online jokesters


Kenneth Cole apologized publicly and profusely on Facebook and Twitter for his mistake. However, no further remark on the decal debate nor @KennethColePR was ever made – causing some to question ho the crisis was handled. The fake Twitter account ultimatelly offered to stop tweeting and hand over the profile if Kenneth Cole donated to a charity such as Amnesty International. The account was ultimately removed.

The Lesson

A timely apology is key – but one post may not be enough to counteract the volume of content and conversation that an issue can generate.

Staying active and responsive throughout the issue will help cut down on speculation and rumors.

The Situation

Starbucks: Guns & Coffee

In the United States there is a fringe firearms rights group who petitions states to adopt “open carry” laws allowing licensed individuals to carry hand guns openly. To bring the issue to the forefront, a loosely organized group of open carry activists targeted Starbucks in liberal cities located in states where open carry was permitted. The result was an offline and online media frenzy and reaction from the unionized baristas at Starbucks.

Group

Lobby group OpenCarry.org


Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was forced to adopt a position on gun control overnight. The company ultimately decided, despite pressure from gun control groups and baristas. To defer to the state law on the open carry issue, so as not to turn gun control into a legacy issue for the brand. It has reinforced this stance in the face of boycotts from gun control lobbies over the past two years

The Lesson

Be ready for the unexpected, create a flexible response framework that can be applied to any situation.


Content: The New Battleground

In the last 24 months, one of the major advantages gained by hacktivists is the leveling of the content playing field. Tools

and creative resources once available only to large companies and creative agencies are now affordable, widely accessible and in the hands of the public.

As illustrated above, the ability to create (or ask the public to create) commercial-quality

content has the power to rapidly accelerate an activist agenda, and create confusion in the marketplace.

The Shell Arctic Ready campaign by Yes Labs and Greenpeace pre-empted a real Shell corporate brand campaign, and flooded the market with fake-PR and spoof content. It also invited consumers to get involved and create their own:

Real Shell print ad.

Activist billboard covering, and parody digital content.

Combatting a “successful” activist attack on a brand now requires more than good PR after the fact. It requires a robust, multi-channel readiness, escalation and reaction plan.


Five Tips for Corporate Readiness

The saying goes that “the best defense is a good offense.” While it is impossible to know what activist-led scenario may befall your brand, you can act today to set up processes and frameworks that will help you handle these incidents in a calm and strategic manner.

1. Always-On Listening

Always-on social listening of owned platforms (like Facebook) and non-owned platforms like blogs and message boards can help ensure you are discovering and containing potential issues before they become large.

2. Plan for the Worst

Think like an activist. Look at your marketing, your CSR and your corporate history and anticipate the most likely scenarios for social activism. Don’t forget to anticipate the unexpected, like the Starbucks Open Carry example above.

3. Develop Response Protocol

All organizations, especially those engaging in social media proactively, should have a Response Protocol document that is primarily used to guide day-to-day discussion on platforms. However, this document must also include “red alert” response protocol, should a problem arise – including holding statements, which can be invaluable in minimizing public outcry while a larger solution or response is discussed.

4. Know Your Escalation Procedures

Knowing when to react, and when not to over-react is key, and mapping out escalation procedures ahead of time can help cooler heads prevail in a live situation. Escalation procedures should include points of contact, stakeholders who must be involved, final decision-makers, and weekend contacts.

5. Get Ready to Play Offense

As a situation escalates, simply posting a statement via traditional or digital means may not be enough. Additional management tactics, such as social media monitoring, search intent modeling, content creation and distribution, dark sites, keyword marketing and other forms of paid media may be required to manage the situation.

About Social@Ogilvy

Social@Ogilvy is the largest social media marketing communications network in the world. Named 2011 Global Digital/Social Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report, the practice

leverages social media expertise across all Ogilvy & Mather disciplines, offering an extensive list of services within the foundational business solutions – Listening and Analytics; Social Business Solutions; Social Media Marketing and Communications; Social Shopping; Social CRM; Social Care; and Conversation Impact.

For more information, visit social.ogilvy.com and connect with us at www.facebook.com/socialogilvy, www.twitter.com/socialogilvy, www.slideshare.com/socialogilvy.

Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Hacktivism: Are You Ready for the Online Attack?