Sergio Jardim

Can you tell us about a pivotal moment in your career that led you to where you are today?

It’s hard to choose just one, as it’s really the result of a combination of key moments, leading to the other.

Firstly, I’d say joining the company where I am now. I’ve been lucky to work in a place where audience understanding is genuinely at the heart of what we do, and where there’s a strong culture that encourages and trusts you to shape your own path.

Secondly, and tied to the previous point, as I started noticing shifts in social content creation, platform preferences (e.g. TikTok’s growing popularity), and the increasing fragmentation of audiences, I began exploring data solutions to better understand these changes and its implications. This led to the development of an audience insight product that was ready to roll out even before clients started asking for it. It’s helped us win several new business opportunities and informed many of the campaigns we’ve delivered since, demonstrating the value of social intelligence.

Last but not least, being included on the SI Insider 50 list has been a significant milestone - a valuable recognition of the work I’ve done so far and a strong motivator to keep pushing forward.

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What makes a good leader in social intelligence?

A good leader has to be curious by nature - Having a thirst to understand human behaviour, questioning the data and the reasons behind it, and remaining eager to learn, stay updated, and even anticipate where the industry is heading. This is crucial as the digital and social landscape continues to evolve, and so do the tools and insights to focus on.

Additionally, they need to be great problem-solvers - not only ensuring that the initial brief is addressed effectively but also foreseeing and overcoming any challenges that may arise during the course of a project due to the nature and/or limitations of the data available for analysis.

Finally, a strong leader must be an effective communicator. This means not only being able to engage non-technical audiences by presenting findings in an accessible way but also, and especially, advocating for the value of social intelligence, bringing other stakeholders on board, and sharing knowledge e.g., mentoring and upskilling junior team members.

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What three skills do you have that helps you to excel in your role?

Analytical skills are certainly one of them and have helped across different areas - from the most obvious ones, such as interrogating briefs, turning them into research plans, and thoroughly analysing data, to gaining a broader understanding of where demand and the industry are heading, enabling the identification of opportunities for innovation and expansion. Critical thinking is another - I have a hard time taking things at face value, and in the field of social intelligence, where data is unstructured, noise is common, and asking “why” is essential, it pays off and has certainly helped me. Lastly, and I think this is a skill we all develop with experience, I’d say storytelling.

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What do you think will be different about social intelligence in 2035?

Several aspects will evolve, starting with the sources/channels, inputs, and even outputs, given the ever-changing nature of digital and social spaces. For instance, as people increasingly turn to AI and LLMs for recommendations to guide their decisions, ‘listening’ to these models - and any AI assistants emerging in the coming years - is likely to become as important as listening directly to consumers for a fuller picture. This is, in fact, already being explored by the BrandTech Group with Jellyfish’s recently launched Share of Model platform.

Plus, advancements in technology will also bring significant changes to our current processes, namely:

Time-consuming manual tasks will become fully automated, resulting in faster data collection and more accurate datasets, with manual double-checking likely to be part of the past.

Boolean queries and search strings will give way to prompts, which will become the key differentiator in deriving high-quality insights and allowing greater flexibility for ‘unknowns’ to surface.

Custom models tailored to specific objectives, brand attributes, or first-party data will likely be integrated across most tools, enabling more effective and seamless real-time outputs.

Finally, predictive analytics might achieve far greater accuracy (though it remains to be seen whether they’ll become fully reliable).

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Will we still have jobs? Is AI all hype or actually helpful?

Yes, we will, but our day-to-day tasks, processes, and even skill sets will look much different from today, thanks to AI. And yes, it is and will undoubtedly continue to be helpful. 

New steps and commands will emerge, replacing some of the current ones, and the time we dedicate to the tasks that remain is also likely to shift significantly. Nevertheless, and despite all the massive changes that are yet to come due to advancements in AI and its impact - not only on our industry but across the board - we will remain the main driving force behind the wheel, guiding AI so it can, in turn, guide us – rather than making us disappear entirely from the equation. A more seamless and intuitive interaction between the two is what I expect to characterise our jobs by that time.

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What should people know before getting into social intelligence?

It’s not as linear as it may seem from the outside, but it’s fun and rewarding. 

There will be some technical knowledge to acquire - spend a good amount of time familiarising and training yourself with it, and find a mentor if possible. Its application can vary widely, so when running a project, clearly define your objectives upfront and the questions you need answered, and work with that in mind. Data will be your playground, but it’s the 'whys' behind it and the narrative that connects them that will take you to the insights you’re after. And staying curious and continuing to learn is key, as it’s constantly evolving.

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What’s been your biggest career highlight?

The development of an audience insight product that identifies and delves deep into the most valuable social communities for our clients, offering clear direction on how to create content that will resonate with them, as well as highlighting potential business opportunities they may offer. I mention this as the biggest highlight, given the impact it has had on the business and the work we do for our clients, being the foundation of several campaigns, social strategies, and planning work.

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What’s next for you?

Keep expanding the role and impact that social intelligence has on the work done within my company, for our clients, and across our wider group network, while evolving the processes as the industry and its demands change. On the latter, I am particularly keen on leveraging the potential of AI technologies to develop bespoke models for our clients, enabling more effective detection of valuable weak signals that can drive a greater cultural impact in the fast-paced social sphere we live in.

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