Gaurav Sood is a brand evangelist, researcher, educator, speaker, columnist and author with more than two decades of practice in creating strong brands. He has been an integral part of developing, and managing marketing and integrated marketing communication campaigns for global brands in India, Germany and the US. He has also carved out a niche for himself as a brand strategist and pioneer in the domain of brand research.
The news is a public good and needs to be handled with care and integrity. Even though lies and misinformation campaigns have been around for years—maybe since the dawn of journalism—the rate at which fake news is being spread these days is both alarming and preposterous. Almost every institution—public or private—uses fake news to further its own agenda. Governments and corporate houses spread fake news either through their own agencies or by influencing the popular media. In the business sector, fake news manifests itself in the form of exaggerated company returns and false data.
This book analyses the impact of fake news both on products and personalities. Foregrounded in rigorous research, it examines how fake news is used by companies, political parties, and leaders to create, amplify, and even tarnish a brand’s image and equity. It emphasizes how the customers' perception of a brand impacts and influences its reputation, and acts as a decisive force in them gaining or losing competitive advantages. Elucidating how brands can interact both directly and indirectly with fake news, it brings to the readers' notice how sometimes brands are the victims of fake news and other times, the purveyors.
At a time when fake news has become an unrelenting cancerous spread, Gaurav Sood’s book is a valued attempt at analysing the fake news factory and how it is affecting public discourse. For media practitioners and consumers, the book offers a well-researched insight into why we need to act before it is too late. A book that diagnoses the problem but also offers solutions. I wish Gaurav all success!
Fake News is very timely and highly relevant, especially as political elections are won or lost today with social media. Gaurav Sood is not only a good scholar but also a master storyteller. His recipe for protecting the brand is very practical! This is a must-read for every brand managerGaurav Sood, a friend and professor of marketing, has been writing books to bring forward new ideas to contribute to the theory of marketing. His last book,
Troll Proof Branding in the Age of Doppelgangers was well-researched, insightful and a bestseller. His new book on fake news is timely and important. Gaurav provides a comprehensive overview of the problem of fake news—from its history to its current impact on our society. This book is full of insightful case studies and theories to establish how fake news is used as guerrilla communication. It also dwells on the psychology of fake news and how it affects what we buy and consume. The role of traditional and digital media is aptly questioned by him in this book. He also offers a number of practical suggestions for how we can spot and combat fake news and protect ourselves from its harmful effects. This book could also help to raise awareness of the issue and encourage people to be more critical of the information that they see online. It is an essential read for anyone who cares about the future of our information. It is well-written, informative and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it
