Oracle: Leading reputation in an age of relentless crisis

Crises don’t break anymore, they detonate.

2025 was the proof that crisis comms has changed for good and no, I promise this isn’t another article about the Coldplay Kiss Cam moment.

We’re living in a world where a rumour becomes a headline before the facts are clear. A single post can reshape perception in minutes and misinformation travels faster than truth. Increasingly, it’s not even written by people, it’s generated, amplified and distributed by AI at a speed and scale no comms team can match.

In this environment, reputation isn’t something you manage occasionally. It’s something you protect, shape and defend in real time.

This is the reality organisations now operate in and it demands a different kind of readiness.

We call it Oracle

Not as a tool, but as a way of seeing. A strategic lens designed to future-proof reputation in an age of fast-moving crisis and AI-driven misinformation, giving leaders the confidence to act decisively and lead boldly when pressure is at its highest.

Because today, the real risk isn’t just the crisis itself. It’s the speed at which it forms, spreads, and takes on its own version of the truth.

The crisis timeline has collapsed

There was a time when crisis communications followed a fairly predictable arc. An issue surfaced, facts were gathered and a response was prepared. The story unfolded over hours, sometimes days. But that timeline has gone.

Now, events and reactions happen simultaneously. An incident occurs and the interpretation begins instantly. Employees discuss it internally, customers react publicly, commentators fill the gaps and before a formal response is ready, an opinion has already been formed.

In this environment, silence doesn’t buy time, it just creates space for assumption.

Crisis comms is no longer a moment to manage. It’s an immersive, always-on comms challenge where perception is shaped continuously and speed, clarity and confidence matter more than ever.

Every organisation is now exposed

Crisis used to feel contained to high-risk industries. Now, every organisation operates in the same glass box. A pricing change can spark outrage, an internal decision can become public conversation, and a single interaction can go viral. A misinterpreted moment can quickly become a reputational issue.

What’s changed isn’t just visibility – its proximity.

Audiences feel closer to organisations than ever before. They watch how decisions are made and believe me, they are judging behaviour in real time. And when something feels wrong, they don’t wait for an official statement, they form their own narrative.

Crisis communications are no longer just about managing events. It’s about managing interpretation, and interpretation is forming faster than ever.

Preparedness creates speed

In a landscape now defined by immediacy, the ability to respond quickly is rarely about instinct. It comes from preparation and the businesses that move fastest aren’t the ones scrambling in the high-pressure moment. They’re the ones who’ve already done the work, they’ve defined clear roles, clear escalation plans, agreed principles and have a shared understanding of how decisions will be made under pressure.

In other words, they have a playbook.

Not a script, but a framework for action. Something that allows teams to acknowledge early, respond from their values and communicate with intent while others are still aligning scrambling. When minutes matter, hesitation becomes visible and bring prepared for anything is what turns speed into confident comms.

The role of Oracle

Preparation alone isn’t enough, of course playbooks help you respond, but the Oracle methodology helps you see.

It represents a shift from reaction to foresight. A move to a live, intelligent view into the signals, conversations and pressures that shape reputation before a crisis fully takes hold. A way of spotting issues early, understanding how narratives about your brand, products or team are forming, and knowing when to step in to protect your reputation or make changes.

It’s not about predicting the future with certainty – none of us can do that. It’s about removing the element of surprise as much as possible.

When leaders can see clearly, they can act boldly, and bold leadership, in a crisis, is what really changes the outcome.

The AI acceleration effect

Misinformation has always existed, but what’s changed is how quickly and convincingly it can now be created. AI can generate synthetic images, cloned voices, fake screenshots and believable statements within minutes. Content that looks real and feels credible can spread widely before teams have even confirmed the facts internally.

This is where the ‘modern crisis comms’ challenge intensifies.

You’re no longer just responding to what happened. You’re responding to what people believe happened and those two things can be very different.

Once a false narrative gains traction, it rarely travels alone. It gets repeated, reshaped and reinforced. Back to the Kiss Cam…

In this context, modern crisis comms must move from reaction to scenarios and anticipation.

Leadership under the spotlight

In moments of crisis, businesses don’t just communicate, they reveal themselves.

Every message, every decision, every moment in the spotlight shows something deeper. Values, priorities and character and audiences are quick to read between the lines.

This is why modern crisis comms is as much about leadership as it is about messaging. The strongest responses don’t feel engineered. They feel owned, human and very direct. They are delivered with confidence (don’t get me started on media training). 

People aren’t just listening anymore for the information, they’re looking for intent and intent is what shapes trust.

A new standard for crisis communications

Modern crisis comms is faster, more immersive and definitely more exposed. And even though it’s increasingly being shaped by forces beyond human control, it creates huge human opportunity.

In moments of pressure, organisations have the chance to show who they really are. To demonstrate leadership, to build trust through transparency and turn uncertainty into clarity.

The Oracle approach is about making that possible.

A continuous view into reputation. A way of navigating volatility, misinformation and AI-driven narrative with confidence. A foundation built on foresight and preparedness that allows leaders not just to react, but to act fast and lead.

Because in an age where crises move at speed, the organisations that see clearly and are ready to respond are the ones that stay standing.