Contents and messages of the Islamic State's communication campaign from the moment Caliphate was declared in July 2014 and throughout 2015, differ significantly from communication campaigns launched by other main Middle Eastern Islamist groups. Better quality of production and hitherto unfathomable brutality is the first impression which IS's campaign leaves. More important, however, are the ideas, motives and goals articulated and advertised through the same campaign. Primary target audience of the IS's campaign are Muslims familiar with Islamic canonical texts, normative traditions and authoritative interpretation of Muslim religion and law. The campaign's goal is to persuade its audience that through the Islamic State, long-awaited Caliphate has been reestablished, that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is the legitimate Amir al-Mu'minin. Flagrantly absent from IS's communication campaign in 2014 and 2015 were references to ideological issues, or social, economic, colonial, national or racial grievances, which have been essential in communication campaigns of most other major Middle Eastern Islamist groups. What is more, the Islamic State demonstrates ample lack of interest in portraying any positive image whatsoever about itself among non-Muslims and moderate Muslims in the West and elsewhere. Should the West recognize authenticity of the IS's communication campaign, through which it has been presenting its motives, means and goals, a more serious scrutiny of their campaign might prove useful in battling the idea of the Caliphate and preventing growth of its influence both in the Islamic world and in the West.

Sadržaj i poruke komunikacijske kampanje Islamske države od proglašenja kalifata u srpnju 2014. do kraja 2015. bitno su drukčiji od promidžbe i komunikacije drugih poznatih islamističkih skupina s Bliskog istoka. Pozornost su isprva plijenile bolja kvaliteta produkcije i nezamisliva morbidnost prizora. No važnija je razlika u idejnom sadržaju i autentičnosti motiva, metoda i ciljeva. Islamska država obraća se muslimanima koji su upućeni u kanonske tekstove, normativne tradicije i autoritativna tumačenja islamske vjere i zakona. Oni prihvaćaju mnoga temeljna načela radikalnog tumačenja islama, no trebalo ih je uvjeriti u to da Islamska država obnovlja legitimni kalifat i da je Abu Bakir El Bagdadi istinski amirul-muminin. U komunikacijskoj kampanji 2014–2015. upadljivo je bilo nepozivanje na ideološke razloge ili pritužbe zbog ekonomske, kolonijalne, nacionalne, rasne ili druge ugroženosti. Pokazana je i posvemašnja nezainteresiranost za stvaranje pozitivne slike o sebi među nemuslimanima i umjerenim muslimanima na Zapadu i drugdje. Ako Zapad prepozna razinu autentičnosti kojom se u komunikacijskoj kampanji predstavljaju motivi, sredstva i ciljevi Islamske države, studiozniji pristup mogao bi biti važan korak u suzbijanju ideje kalifata i njegova utjecaja na islamski svijet.