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Since seeing Wicked for the first time in 2006 as part of my Theatre Studies A-Level, I have never been able to watch the show without analysing every detail. Back then, it was coursework: actor’s movements, stage lighting, audio cues. These days, having never quite made it in Hollywood, or Hollyoaks for that matter, I continue to approach the story through the lens of communications. And in that respect, the Wizard’s relentless reputational warfare campaign against Elphaba makes for a fascinating case study. Spoilers ahead.
The story of Wicked is, at its heart, an exercise in misinformation. When the Wizard of Oz finds his regime threatened by Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, he orchestrates a disinformation campaign to destroy her credibility. Sadly, such tactics are all too familiar in our world. At times, brands and agencies have been the bad actors themselves, as the Bell Pottinger scandal and the Volkswagen emissions case showed. But more often, companies find themselves on the receiving end of falsehoods. The 5G telecom industry, for example, was hit by conspiracy theories linking its technology to health risks and even Covid-19, leading to vandalised masts and shaken public confidence.
Our recent research, conducted in partnership with Mercury Analytics, shows how widespread this challenge has become. More than half of companies reported reputational harm from misinformation, with one in ten saying the damage was substantial. For communicators, this highlights the urgent need to defend against the kinds of orchestrated campaigns that brought Elphaba down in Oz.
The Wizard’s playbook: Smear tactics and narrative control
In Wicked, Elphaba is a principled young woman who uncovers the Wizard’s unethical practices. Fearing exposure, the Wizard pre-emptively brands her as a dangerous enemy. With the help of his press secretary-like ally, Madame Morrible, he spreads an undefined terror about a shadowy “evil in Oz” embodied by the “Wicked Witch,” offering no evidence, only insinuation and fear. By seizing the narrative before Elphaba can respond, he poisons public perception against her.
This is a classic smear campaign. The Wizard’s tactic, vilifying the whistleblower to distract from his own wrongdoing, mirrors the challenges that real-world communicators face when false claims are made about their organisations. It reflects an old PR maxim: control the story or it will control you. Today, hostile voices, whether competitors, activists, or rogue insiders, can spread misinformation quickly, leaving communications teams fighting to restore the truth.
False narratives and the erosion of trust
What is the collateral damage of the Wizard’s deception? The immediate victim is Elphaba’s reputation, an individual “brand” ruined by lies, but the harm extends further. Even if the Wizard maintained power through illusion for a time, such lack of authenticity inevitably erodes trust. The parallel in corporate life is clear: a company’s hard-earned credibility can crumble when falsehoods gain traction. Our research shows that false narratives can directly decrease customer trust and stunt business growth. As business networks grow increasingly intertwined, a hit to credibility can swiftly translate into lost business. The Wizard’s campaign shows how quickly a reputation, even one boosted by Galinda’s ‘Popular’ PR makeover, can be demolished by a well-placed lie.
Leveraging communication channels to amplify misinformation
One reason the Wizard’s false narrative succeeds is his command of Oz’s communications apparatus. From his perch in the Emerald City, he broadcasts propaganda across Oz, effectively controlling the only news feed in town. We see parallels today when misinformation spreads unchecked across media channels, sometimes amplified by influencers or automated bot networks. The principle is the same: saturate every channel with the preferred narrative before alternative viewpoints can gain traction. For companies, this means even unverified claims about safety, ethics, or product quality can take hold long before the facts emerge.
Artificial intelligence: A new factor in misinformation and its defence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is adding a new dimension to these reputation battles. On one hand, AI can supercharge disinformation. Deepfake videos and bot networks can make false campaigns more convincing and far-reaching. Communications leaders worry these AI-driven fabrications could erode trust in their brand by making falsehoods harder to spot. In our research, two-thirds of respondents said they were concerned AI will accelerate the spread of misinformation, with more than seven in ten in brand visibility roles highlighting it as a particular risk.
Yet there is also cautious optimism that AI can help companies identify false narratives faster, enabling quicker corrective responses. Two-thirds of respondents overall said they would be comfortable using AI to help defend their company’s reputation, with more than 80 per cent of corporate affairs leaders reporting comfort with AI tools. In other words, while in Oz the Wizard’s mechanical contraptions served only to deceive, today’s technology can also be harnessed to protect, exposing lies before they spread too far.
Growing vigilance in the PR industry
The tale of the Wizard and Elphaba resonates because it epitomises a growing threat. Misinformation has become the new frontier of corporate reputation management. Many communications leaders are already moving from concern to action. Six in ten companies now actively seek methods to counter misinformation. Just as Glinda the Good countered the Wizard’s lies with truth, today’s PR teams work to inject facts and transparency before distorted narratives take hold. They recognise that false information can spring from many sources, so vigilance is key. Defending reputation means continuously monitoring for false claims and countering them swiftly with credible information to shore up public trust.
Lessons from Oz for modern communicators
The Wizard’s disinformation campaign offers a stark lesson: reputation management built on lies will eventually collapse. A false narrative may provide short-term cover, and while the Wizard did avert immediate backlash by scapegoating Elphaba, the illusion could not sustain him forever. Though he managed to slip quietly out of Oz with much of the population still believing in him, the real world is rarely so forgiving. When an organisation is falsely targeted, the reckoning is often loud, public, and damaging, and the recovery depends on how quickly truth is re-established. The wiser strategy is to stay vigilant, address threats through transparency, and engage honestly with stakeholders.
Trust is our most valuable currency. Upholding truth, exposing falsehoods, and fostering authentic dialogue with the public are not lofty ideals but practical necessities for protecting reputation. As communicators guiding our organisations through crises, we must be ready to counter wicked false narratives with facts and integrity. By doing so, we ensure that no amount of smoke and mirrors can keep the truth from defying gravity, for good.
