Jenny Wolfram founded BrandBastion to help companies manage the risks of social media by combining AI with human moderation. She joins HBS professor Julian De Freitas and BrandBastion’s Head of Operations and Finance, Vesa Rikkinen, to discuss how this hybrid model builds trust without ballooning costs.

Cold Call

HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

BrandBastion Mixes AI and Human Judgment to Build Trust at Scale

NOV 25, 202526 MIN
Cold Call

BrandBastion Mixes AI and Human Judgment to Build Trust at Scale

NOV 25, 202526 MIN

Description

Jenny Wolfram founded BrandBastion in 2013 after noticing that many companies’ social media pages were teeming with spam, hostile messages, and unanswered comments—all of which chipped away at customer trust. She built an AI-powered platform, supported by human moderation, to help brands manage comment sections at scale, respond quickly to customers, and protect their reputation. Wolfram joins the company’s Head of Operations and Finance, Vesa Rikkinen, Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Julian De Freitas, and host Brian Kenny to discuss the HBS case “BrandBastion: Managing Online Brand Communities.” They explore key decisions brands face, including when to step in and respond to customers online, and how to make the case for investing in moderation.