Tweets, Reviews, Deepfakes: Why brands are doubling down on ORM

In an age where a single tweet, reel or post can spiral into a full-blown crisis, online reputation management (ORM) has moved from being a support function to a mission-critical mandate for brands. The rise of viral social media trends, the unforgiving wave of cancel culture, and the growing menace of AI-generated misinformation have pushed companies to invest significantly in safeguarding their digital image.

Agencies are now running dedicated ORM teams, often operating round-the-clock to track brand mentions, analyse sentiment, and intervene before online chatter snowballs into a reputational threat. Industry insiders say that for many large consumer-facing businesses, ORM has become as important as performance marketing and influencer outreach.

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According to Dataintelo’s 2025 report, the global online reputation management (ORM) market was valued at around USD 4.5 billion in 2023 and is forecast to hit USD 13.7 billion by 2032, clocking a CAGR of 13.2 per cent. The study further points out that Asia Pacific is set to witness the fastest growth, projected to expand at nearly 15 per cent CAGR through 2032. Rapid digitalisation, an expanding internet user base, and the rise of e-commerce are fuelling demand for reputation management solutions in markets like India and China. 

Additionally, the proliferation of small and medium enterprises across the region is opening lucrative opportunities for ORM service providers, cementing Asia Pacific as the next growth engine for this sector.

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Experts point out that the most reputation-sensitive sectors today include airlines, e-commerce, healthcare, utilities, cosmetics, food, and BFSI, where consumer trust is fragile and shaped in real time by digital chatter. In these industries, even a minor lapse can escalate into a viral controversy - a delayed flight, a refund glitch, a safety concern, or a rumor about security can quickly outweigh years of brand-building, making proactive ORM indispensable.

Some of the most active examples include airlines like IndiGo and Air India, consumer brands such as Nykaa, and mobility platforms like Uber are known for running highly responsive ORM teams on social media. These dedicated teams monitor platforms like X around the clock, address customer concerns in real time, and provide swift clarifications before issues escalate. By engaging proactively, countering misinformation, and maintaining a consistent brand voice, these companies showcase how ORM can transform potential crises into opportunities to strengthen trust and transparency.

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“Brands don’t really see ORM as just an extension of PR anymore. It’s increasingly treated as part of their digital and customer service backbone, where listening, engagement, and quick response matter more than media amplification,” said Premkumar Iyer, COO, HAWK (Gozoop Group). He added that the share of budgets varies across industries, but the real shift is in mindset ORM is now seen less as a cost for perception management and more as an investment in customer trust and digital loyalty.

This shift is visible in the way consumer-facing companies are approaching reputation. Abhishek Chakraborty, Head of Brand Communication and PR at Oriflame India, said that at Oriflame, online reputation management is viewed as central to brand strategy rather than an add-on. In a digital ecosystem where conversations unfold constantly, the company monitors reviews, mentions, and comments closely, recognising their power to shape perception. Guided by values of authenticity and honesty, Oriflame prioritises listening, clear responses, and simple, real communication, ensuring its brand narrative stays aligned with consumer expectations.

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“Investment in ORM has become materially larger in the past two to three years. We have had to invest more in real-time monitoring tools, in teams trained to respond with accuracy and sensitivity, and in protocols for escalation and correction,” he added. 

Expanding on this, Durgesh Tiwari , AVP - Listening, ORM & Analytics - RepIndia, highlighted that until recently, most brand budgets were directed toward PR, media buying, and broader digital initiatives. Over the past few years, however, ORM has emerged as a priority, with forward-looking brands allocating dedicated budgets nearly on par with other digital marketing streams, while others remain PR-heavy but are gradually shifting focus. 

“ORM has moved firmly into the retainer-based model, where brands invest consistently to ensure their reputation is protected and strengthened over time. It is no longer viewed as a reactive cost but as an essential, ongoing pillar of the digital ecosystem,” Tiwari said. RepIndia has a 200+ member team dedicated to ORM, managing and protecting the reputation of leading brands across sectors including healthcare, aviation, fintech, BFSI, real estate, tech, entertainment, and more.

Traditional PR v/s ORM

Experts also highlighted the distinction between traditional PR and ORM, noting that while PR focuses on building a brand’s story, ORM is about protecting it.

Iyer explained, “PR thrives on amplification working with media, shaping narratives, driving perception. ORM sits closer to customer service and digital intelligence. It’s about listening at scale, catching the signals others miss, and stepping in before a small spark becomes a wildfire.” He stated that the outcomes also differ, while PR is measured by reach, recall, and visibility, ORM is evaluated through response time, sentiment shifts, and, most importantly, trust retention.

According to Tiwari, traditional PR focuses on storytelling and media influence - building narratives, thought leadership, and long-term brand equity. ORM, by contrast, is real-time and consumer-driven, centred on monitoring chatter, addressing reviews, countering misinformation, and containing crises. The toolkits also differ: PR relies on media networks and press outreach, while ORM leverages social listening, sentiment analysis, SEO, review platforms, and AI-powered tools like Sprinklr, Konnect Insights, and Locobuzz. 

The road ahead

In the coming two to three years, ORM is expected to evolve into a more real-time, AI-driven discipline. Beyond tracking brand mentions, companies are likely to deploy advanced tools capable of detecting manipulated content, deepfakes, and coordinated misinformation campaigns early on, allowing them to mitigate risks before negative narratives gain momentum.

Tiwari underlined authenticity as the differentiator in this future landscape, “Authenticity is going to be a key differentiator. Building a strong digital trust layer (through verified brand communication, thought leadership, and transparent engagement) will be as critical as crisis response.”

According to Iyer, ORM agencies are set to function more like digital intelligence units, combining listening, forensic checks, legal takedowns, and predictive analytics to flag risks early. The approach is shifting from pure defense to proactive reputation governance.

For some brands, this evolution is already underway. Chakraborty noted that ORM is fast emerging as its own budget line, as the scale of digital conversations, social virality, and AI-driven narratives demands dedicated investment. Treating it merely as part of PR or digital risks under-resourcing a critical function. “At Oriflame we already allocate people, tools, and workflows focused solely on reputation management. Nonetheless it will always be deeply intertwined with PR digital creative campaigns and community engagement. Reputation influences what we say, how we advertise, what influencers we work with, and how we behave as an organization. ORM’s growing importance means it deserves its own line so we can hold ourselves accountable, measure impact and invest appropriately.”

He cited instances of products going viral or influencer-led controversies, noting that the brand’s first response in such cases is anchored in authenticity. Teams carefully assess whether concerns are valid or stem from misinformation, respond with facts or ownership as appropriate, and engage respectfully to avoid defensiveness. While challenging, these moments are seen as opportunities to reinforce brand values, learn, and strengthen trust.

Summing it up, Iyer offered a sharp reminder, “In today’s environment, where a tweet can move faster than a press release, I see ORM as the guardrail that ensures all the investment in PR doesn’t get undone overnight.”