Following the Coldplay concert 'kiss cam' scandal, Sarah Moloney, UK managing director at MikeWorldWide, explains why silence becomes a big risk for brands and communicators.

The age of silence in communications is passing. Not long ago, brands could choose when and how to speak, treating transparency as optional. Today, silence isn’t just risky; it’s reputationally dangerous. It breeds doubt, fuels speculation and leaves space for misinformation to thrive.

Brands now sit in a delicate limbo, torn between fear of backlash and the need to stay relevant. In fact, according to MikeWorldWide’s own findings in our Confidence Amidst Chaos report, 40% of communications professionals feel under pressure to stay quiet. But when news moves fast and misinformation faster, silence leaves a vacuum others will fill.

Take the infamous Coldplay Kiss-Cam moment in the summer, where an awkward spotlight on a CEO and HR colleague went viral. The brand let the initial wave of controversy pass, then reclaimed the narrative with a quick-witted and creative campaign. It became a case study in how authenticity and agility can help a brand reclaim credibility and rebuild trust.

Now, as many brands gear up to activate their Q4 plans and shape next year’s agenda, the challenge lies in striking the right balance between protecting reputation and navigating today’s evolving risk landscape. That means having the right tools in your armour to communicate with speed, precision and confidence.

The internal barriers to boldness

Despite knowing the risks of silence, many brands still hesitate. The issue isn’t a lack of will, but a lack of readiness. Our research, which surveyed 500 UK-based senior marcomms professionals, shows 84% of brands struggle to act at speed when faced with breaking news or cultural shifts. Reasons include: the absence of rapid response protocols (31%), leadership hesitancy (29%) and poor news awareness (21%). The outcome is predictable: slower reactions, fading relevance and a failure to connect with audiences in the moments that matter most.

The external pressures that amplify risk

Beyond internal hurdles, brands face a volatile external landscape. Misinformation spreads faster than facts. A space once defined by credibility has become crowded with noise, leaving people unsure what to believe. That uncertainty damages more than trust in media but also undermines brands themselves. It’s no wonder that almost a third of professionals (32%) now see misinformation and disinformation as the greatest threat, while 29% cite reputational risk and 27% highlight AI misuse as a key threat.

Together, internal hesitation and external volatility create an unstable environment where brands are unsure what to say, when to say it or whether to say anything at all.

Responding with speed and strategy

So how do brands move from paralysis to progress? It starts with smarter investment, notably in their tech stack. AI, as the most prescient example, isn’t just for drafting emails, but a tool for real-time communication, tailored tone of voice and sharper audience targeting.

Strategic investment means going beyond using AI tools for the basics. Instead, it’s technology that offers deeper audience segmentation, effective social and media management and monitoring and mapping for crises before they even appear. However, this also requires training talent to interpret insight to ensure technology is paired with the human expertise needed to drive genuine transformation.

And AI’s value doesn’t stop there. These tools can also help comms leads bring leadership on board. Using AI, comms teams can test how a message will land, how it will resonate, penetrate and shape perception. As a result, executives will be far more likely to support bold action. Here, data becomes the bridge between hesitation and conviction.

Define the moment before it defines you

The lesson from that infamous Coldplay Kiss-Cam still stands: when the spotlight finds you, hesitation only magnifies the risk. In 2025, brands cannot afford to let others tell their story. Relevance now depends on the ability to engage audiences in real time, supported by the right tools, streamlined approvals and leaders confident enough to act. Those who embrace agility and speak with clarity will be the ones who define the narrative, not the ones defined by it.