Narrative Agility

In today's chaos, timing is everything. With AI-driven disinformation able to turn one post into a global firestorm, we're no longer just managing reputation. We're defending reality. In this world, the goal isn't just speed. It's precision. Communicators must know what noise needs to be killed fast, and what narratives need time to grow.

When an AI-generated fake Reddit thread attacked industry practices without naming names, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu sprinted to protect reality. On X, he stopped the story before it became "truth."

On the opposite end, some leaders choose to slow down. Donald Trump has renewed his call for US public companies to move to semiannual reporting to reduce short-term pressure and give teams space to deliver real results.

Both show the same thing: velocity isn't about rushing. It's about choosing the right pace.

Sprint to defend the truth. Slow down to create real value.

That's Responsive Velocity.

When the AI music platform Suno needed a Head of Comms, they didn't post a job ad. They released a rap song. It was catchy, weird, and perfectly synced with their brand DNA. In India, Peps Mattresses operated at a different level of cultural fluency. Instead of spreading one national campaign, it embraced transcreation—developing seven distinct ads across five languages. Starting in Tamil and Malayalam, the campaign was adapted to other regional markets, each version reflecting local humour, family dynamics, and intimacy around sleep. While competitors shouted features, Peps whispered local cultures. This isn't just marketing; it's a real-time culture loop- where brands listen, respond, and move with the moment.

American Eagle faced a global backlash over their "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" campaign. Critics called it provocative and tone-deaf. Instead of issuing a mea culpa, the brand stood its ground and defended its autonomy. The result? A 23% jump in share price.

E.L.F. Cosmetics took a different but equally bold path. They partnered with Matt Rife at the peak of his controversy, knowing backlash was inevitable. They treated outrage as a viral engine.

On the cultural stage, Bad Bunny's announcement around his participation in the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show became a masterclass in resilience. Under pressure to soften his message and tone down his heritage, he did the opposite, delivering a monologue entirely in Spanish. No dilution. No compromise.

But communicators must be precise. There's a difference between standing firm in your values — and chasing the algorithm. One builds trust. The other burns it. Value-led stances deepen loyalty, while using outrage as currency erodes brand consistency.

Silence isn't empty. It's strategic. Brandee Barker, VP of Communications at GM calls these leaders: "Heroes of Negative Space." Leaders with the confidence to protect the "white space" of the brand, refusing to fill it with reactive noise.

The winning strategy is response pacing. It's about calibrating how often you speak, not just what you say. Resisting the urge to over-explain and speak only when you add value — not just volume.

This goes beyond crisis management. Bose recently treated silence as a stress test, cutting paid search across ~50% of its US market to see if the noise was actually driving sales. The result? Revenue didn't drop. Proof that "always-on" is often just "wasted effort"—and that in a noisy world, the boldest and most profitable move is sometimes to clear the air.