When people seek competitive intelligence, especially in a corporate or political campaign setting, they are often looking to find ways to effectively draw contrast between their adversary and themselves. As such, defensive research (opposition research methods deployed on yourself or allies) completes the total picture for the most effective strategy.
While it may sound counterintuitive to research yourself, the following scenarios are not uncommon:
- Life and memories are long: People and businesses can (understandably) forget about potential vulnerabilities as they age and grow. What may not have been a potential vulnerability at the time may be controversial under different circumstances or culture.
- Perception is reality: We know the full context of our lives and decisions, but the public never will. Opponents are often able to weaponize information that may seem innocuous from lived experience but hit different (and still factually accurate) when edited and sensationalized.
- Better safe than sorry: People or businesses are often unaware of just how much information is publicly available, even years after the fact. Defensive research allows you to definitively know what others are able to find—and potentially weaponize.
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