Ask an Expert: What Brand Sponsors Can Learn From Real-Time Fan Sentiment
The 2026 FIFA World Cup played out on two stages at once — the pitch, and the feed. For major sponsors, reputations shifted from positive to crisis within hours. This session shows you how to read the signals before they become a storm.
Somewhere online right now, a fan or customer is posting about your brand. Knowing what's spreading — and who's driving it — is what determines whether you respond, and how. In this session, Graphika's Chief Revenue Officer Jennifer Vaziralli and Chief Scientist Dr. Vladimir Barash walk through the framework Graphika uses to help brands do exactly that.
- How narratives move from niche communities to mainstream — and how fast brands have to act
- Why stance detection gives you a more precise read than traditional sentiment analysis
- Real World Cup case studies: Coca-Cola, Heinz, and how one post became a brand crisis
- How to tell the difference between adversarial attacks and legitimate fan concerns
- The most common mistake brands make — and how overreacting can amplify a narrative
A framework for brands navigating online narrative risk
The Narrative Journey
How conversations move from early adopters to mainstream. What triggers the crossover — and why a wall of comments is rarely a unified mob.
Sentiment vs. Stance
Why traditional sentiment analysis misses the point. Stance detection tells you how people feel about your brand specifically — not just the general emotional temperature of a conversation.
Brands in the Conversation
Coca-Cola got pulled into the water bottle ban without doing anything. Heinz turned logo censorship into a viral ad campaign. What separated one outcome from the other?
Early Warning Indicators
The one signal Dr. Barash says marketing teams should watch: whether your core audience — not a broad audience — is changing what they're talking about.
The Overreaction Trap
The biggest mistake brands make isn't ignoring a narrative — it's amplifying one that would have stayed in an echo chamber. How to avoid surfacing a story to the 99% who hadn't heard it.
Handling Sarcasm & Irony
How AI stance detection has improved — and where it still needs human oversight. Practical guidance on customizing models to catch nuanced language.
Vladimir Barash, PhD is Chief Scientist at Graphika, where he leads research in social network analysis and large-scale online behavior that powers the company’s analytic platform. He holds a PhD from Cornell University in Information Science focused on the spread of rumors and viral content in social networks, and has conducted research on disinformation, AI-generated content, and influence campaigns, including testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jennifer Vaziralli is Chief Revenue Officer at Graphika, where she leads go-to-market strategy and revenue execution. She has held senior leadership roles at multiple high-growth technology companies and serves on the board of 757 Angels, while also coaching early-stage business founders. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School and degrees from Virginia Tech.
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