Marketing Brew: Why brands need AI-driven media intelligence to decode real vs. fake online narratives

Today’s online conversations move fast, and not all of them are real. As bot networks grow more sophisticated, brands are struggling to separate genuine consumer reactions from coordinated, AI-driven noise. 

Marketing Brew recently dug into this challenge and featured insights from Meltwater Chief Product Officer, Chris Hackney.

Read the full article here: Marketing Brew, Will bots end social listening as we know it?

In the piece, Hackney explains how bot patterns are increasingly easy to spot at scale “like watching birds in the sky, flying in a flock.” Sudden surges of activity from new or low-quality accounts often signal that a narrative is being artificially amplified. This makes social listening tools critical for brands trying to understand true consumer sentiment.

That’s where Meltwater’s AI-powered solutions come in. Meltwater helps marketers cut through the noise and stay ahead of the narrative by:

• Monitoring evolving shifts in brand perception and addressing negative sentiment to mitigate potential crises.
• Identifying spikes in conversation with smart alerts that deliver key real-time insights about your brand, competitors, or industry trends.
• Responding to emerging threats quickly with data-driven intelligence.

As brands navigate bot-driven noise, emerging narratives, and evolving consumer signals, Meltwater stands ready as a leader in media intelligence and AI-powered insights for trusted brand perception and actionable decision-making.

Meltwater is a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, helping over 27,000 brands worldwide understand and shape their stories across media, social and LLM environments. Learn more about Meltwater.