Case study: Fashion and luxury

Luxury apparel brand heads off activist campaign

Challenge

This luxury apparel brand was kept in the dark while an activist group mobilized on private online forums, obscure discussion boards and clandestine messenger groups.

When activists moved to alert supporters on open social media, they used code words to conceal the plot from their targets. Although this luxury apparel brand expected to deal with activism, it had become increasingly difficult to know what was coming next and when.

When activists move to alert supporters on open social media, they use code words to conceal the plot.

Solution

Crisp's human intelligence team used its Risk Intelligence Graph to detect an activist operation, decrypt the code words, determine the timing for escalating it to open social media channels and brand-owned spaces, and alert the brand about the campaign.

The brand was able to pre-empt the attack and ready its communications function to counter the activist's demands, while ensuring that its owned social media spaces were not compromised by damaging and offensive content posted in a coordinated attack.