BNR searched social media where many conspiracy theorists congregate for the brand names of the 25 AEX-listed companies. This resulted in a hit with a conspiracy theory in twelve cases. Especially on Telegram, these kinds of theories were easy to find. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, for example, this platform has virtually no measures against misinformation.
‘Shell is behind the war in Ukraine’
The nature of the theories varies enormously. Unilever is said to have put ‘junk’ into food, ING is said to have ‘disappeared’ money from savers and Albert Heijn is said to have been involved in organizing ‘controlled food shortages’ by deliberately destroying vegetables. Some lines of thought are so inimitable as to be difficult to reproduce. For example, some suggest that Rutte ‘needs’ the war in Ukraine to ‘keep MH17 undercover, along with the shale gas contracts concluded with Shell at the MH17 disaster site’. Others are so blatantly incorrect in fact that it is sometimes unclear exactly which company they are referring to. For example, the “mortem” conspiracy theorist seems to believe that McDonalds is part of Unilever.
A recurring theme is the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual gathering of top politicians and business leaders. This congress also counts many Dutch companies among the visitors and this is considered suspicious by conspiracy theorists. For example, one conspiracy theorist notes that WEF affiliates are still doing well, despite the impending recession. ‘Unilever, Shell, Heineken and Heinz make billions in profit. All WEF companies. Haven’t we figured it out yet?’
Conspirators on the sidewalk of Picnic, Eneco, telecommunications companies
Despite their bizarre nature, conspiracy theories can have major consequences if conspiracy theorists take action. The arson attacks on 5G antennas are the most extreme example of this, but conspiracy theorists have moved on more recently. Eneco’s Rotterdam headquarters was visited last month by protesters who came to burn energy bills. Slogans were chanted about “The Great Reset”, the title of a policy proposal by WEF President Klaus Schwab.
Online supermarket Picnic was visited by several alternative media camera crews from the US this summer after a fire at a delivery point. The reason was then a story that was making the rounds on social media: behind the delivery point there would be a cultivated meat factory financed by Bill Gates. Michiel Muller, co-founder of Picnic, looks back on the episode with “charm”. (Muller is also a supervisory board member of FD Mediagroep, the owner of BNR.) “It was a snowball,” says Mulder. A message in the local press was cast in a sinister light by a Dutch Twitter user, later someone translated this theory into English, after which American Twitter users picked up the story. “Everything went fast after that,” says Muller. Finally, Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Trump, even paid attention to the story in his own online newscast. “We haven’t sold a word for it, but if something like this happens to you and you’re active in the US, I can imagine it has consequences,” says Muller.
Reacting can make the problem worse
Muller doesn’t want to pay too much attention to the phenomenon, an attitude that is often found in the business world. Conspiracy theories therefore present companies with a dilemma. Responding is sometimes necessary, but can exacerbate the problem, says Roland Kroes, independent communications manager and interim spokesperson. “Also, there are security risks involved. As a spokesperson you are always very visible and you can suddenly start getting weird phone calls when you talk about this sort of thing.’
Companies are often taken aback by how quickly a conspiracy theory spreads on social media, Kroes says. Conspiracy theories, illogical by definition, are often difficult to predict. “Arbitrariness is very annoying. This discussion can arise out of the blue if you want to talk about a different topic.’
‘Crisis Scenario Practice’
Still, there are things companies can do to protect themselves from conspiracy theorists, media experts say. Picnic, for example, says a fact check from the Associated Press American news agency helped a lot. “That really put a damper on that story,” says co-founder Muller. Some media outlets took parts of the conspiracy theory for granted, and the story threatened to spread to the “mainstream” media. The fact check helped correct foreign journalists. “A news check like this helps him get out of the media world. But it’s still alive on Twitter because people keep tweeting about it.’
According to communications expert Kroes, it’s also important not to answer every question during a crisis. “Stick to the facts,” Kroes says. ‘Answering questions about the crisis, about the underlying problem. This is what really worries your customers, suppliers and investors. In the end, it is always only a minority who have questions about the WEF. And ‘no’ is also an answer in many cases. Most journalists know very well how to separate the wheat from the chaff.’
Kroes also stresses the importance of preparation. “You just have to take into account that this could happen to your company.” A script can help with this. ‘Companies practice crisis scenarios all the time: a fire, a cyber attack, a visit from the regulator. Actually, you should add these kind of scenarios. You don’t know how to get involved in conspiracy theory. But if you’ve thought about it beforehand and discussed how to address it with management, you’re already way ahead.”
Conspiracy theories about AEX companies: an overview
BNR took a spin on social media and found conspiracy theories about 12 of the 25 AEX companies. Below is a selection of them.
Shell would keep the war in Ukraine due to its favorable effect on energy prices.
Unilever would put “corpse” in the food.
ASML would be involved in the WEF’s intention to chip people.
Eng they allegedly “disappeared” money from account holders and orchestrated explosive attacks themselves to accelerate the transition to digital cash.
dsm extension would be involved in the spread of “chemtrails”.
Albert Heijn allegedly involved in causing “controlled food shortages”.
An oral care subscription template from Phillips it would be part of the WEF’s plan to end private ownership
Heineken it is said to have satanic references in its logo.
Akzo associated with chemtrails.
KPN extension it would make it impossible for information about Joe Biden’s son to be sent over their Internet connections.
AEGON would know the cause of the excess mortality and would use it in life reinsurance.
Mean would make “smart street lights” used to spy on the population.