Why it’s time to scrap FUD as the default narrative in cybersecurity

Fear, uncertainty and doubt. For some, the idea of using FUD (as it’s affectionately known) as a communications tactic to capture attention may send shivers down the spine. Unfortunately, some security vendors are still selling FUD by the bucket load. Yet the media and its loyal followers are no longer buying it.

Until recently, the cybersecurity industry has arguably built its reputation on scaremongering, painting insidious images of the hooded hacker lurking in every corner of the internet. Just look at the way hackers are portrayed in film and media, sat in dark basements concocting their next evil plan. Media coverage of hackers and their activities is not so obtuse and blatantly hyperbolic, but there are some companies that will resort to more sensationalist stories to get journalists’ attention.

This approach is starting to wear thin. And don’t just take it from us. This was the general consensus of the communications and media experts we interviewed for our new report ‘Cybersecurity: Creating meaningful commentary in an industry full of FUD’.

Smart, measurable, impactful cybersecurity PR

As communicators for the digital economy, Babel is well-versed in creating smart, measurable and impactful PR and marketing programmes for cybersecurity companies that balance real-world insights and best practice with striking and compelling narratives (minus the ambulance chasing). We wanted to get to the heart of what is still driving fear, uncertainty and doubt in the cybersecurity media landscape. Why has this become the default mode for narratives that both journalists report on and many vendors want to convey?

We’ve drawn upon our cumulative experience within the agency, and tapped into our network of contacts in the cybersecurity and media industries to create a report that answers many of the questions you may be asking yourselves as communications professionals in the cybersecurity industry – is there something more impactful and constructive that vendors can be offering to journalists? What do readers really care about? Is FUD really all that bad?

How to engage the cybersecurity media

The result of that research is our ‘Cybersecurity: Creating meaningful commentary in an industry full of FUD’ report, which aims to demystify FUD and provide businesses working in cybersecurity with constructive feedback and insights – straight from the horse’s mouth – on how to effectively cut through a media landscape that has been stirring the ‘FUD’ pot for some time.

The report shares the thoughts and opinions of experts in the field, who have built their careers on scrapping the FUD, in lieu of more meaningful and relevant stories – both on the vendor side, and media side. We also provide the reader with actionable steps and suggestions to help pitches avoid the virtual bin.

You can download the report here. If you have any further thoughts or insights to share on this topic, please do get in touch. We’d love to hear them. Similarly, if you’re ready to scrap the FUD, build a compelling communications campaign, and are interested in hearing what Babel has to offer, why not give us a call?