It’s no longer possible to disentangle the commercial, political, and cultural threads of social — brands need to be ready to deal with it all. Few brands are as embattled as RT, originally a TV network funded by the Russian government to provide views of Russia to the outside world; now a multi-channel media platform with an emphasis on hard news. Ivor Crotty, deputy director of creative and innovation at RT, doesn’t just talk about brand risk; he talks about “brand toxicity,” as RT seeks to be a trusted voice in a world of bots and fake social accounts, Wikileaks, the fall-out from Cambridge Analytica, and Russian interference in US elections. “Lord grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change,” he says.
Crotty explains how he came to move from investigative journalism in the Republic of Ireland to working in Moscow, and how a long form, cross-platform social media project on the 100th Anniversary of the death of the Romanovs, won awards and some much-needed respect from peers. Check out #ROMANOVS100 here.
