What’s your background? How did you get into social listening?
My interest in social listening stems from my background in marketing analytics, consumer insights, and technology, and a fundamental desire to deeply understand audiences. Social media platforms offer a wealth of information on human behavior–needs, attitudes, opinions, and trends; it’s constantly evolving at a pace that’s just not interpretable by any other form of market research. As digital conversations grew, I saw the opportunity to use data to not only listen, but also understand and anticipate consumer needs and behaviors. And in the last ten years, the steady integration of AI and machine learning in these tools has greatly enhanced traditional market research, providing a level of detail and foresight that was previously unattainable. This technology not only offers more comprehensive insights, but has also propelled the industry forward, enabling more adaptable, responsive, and personalized engagement with audiences. For me, social listening is more than just monitoring; it is about truly understanding and staying at the forefront of consumer data to drive innovation.
What attracted you to social listening?
What attracted me to social listening was the sheer potential it has for transforming data into deep, actionable insights. I've always been drawn to the puzzle-like nature of integrating disparate data sources to create a complete and dynamic picture of human behavior. Early in my career, I was fortunate to work alongside highly skilled data strategists and engineers, and with a manager who let me run wild. They displayed a masterful understanding of how to fuse various data streams—harnessing statistics, code, and a growing repository of information to strengthen the narrative told by the data.
The emergence and evolution of social APIs were a game-changer in this arena. These tools opened doors to rich, real-time streams of social data, allowing us to tap directly into the pulse of public conversations. I got completely wrapped up in the enthusiasm of my peers; their energy was infectious, and it galvanized my commitment to this field.
My subsequent career trajectory has been a testament to this unwavering interest. At Real Chemistry, I'm surrounded by trailblazers who share a common goal—pushing the envelope of what's possible in social listening. We thrive on innovation, continuously forging new paths and applying our technological prowess to unmask the subtleties and complexities of social data. This environment feels like the perfect place for someone with my passion and aspirations. We don't just adapt to change; we drive it, and that's an incredibly exciting place to be.
What’s the most innovative way a client has used your tool?
I'd like to give credit to our brilliant creative partners at 21 Grams and the bold and innovative clients who drive these innovations, but it's incredibly inspiring to see our audience insights brought to life in campaigns. One of the most innovative uses of our AI tools was during the HEMLIBRA campaign for Genentech. Their challenge was to reach an audience of young men who are notoriously hard to reach. At Real Chemistry, we delved into claims, digital, and social media data to uncover core patient insights that allowed us to understand our patients as people first, which was critical in engaging them in a more human way. We focused on unconventional platforms like Twitch and Reddit, tapping into where our audience naturally spent their time.
Based on our insights, Hemlibra launched the first ever pharma-branded live Twitch event. Our creative team’s work helped deliver an incredible campaign in an engaging format that resonated with the younger demographic. This out-of-the-box thinking wasn't just creative—it was effective, with the first event garnering over half a million viewers. It's a testament to what can be achieved when we leverage our technological expertise in AI and couple it with creative and unconventional marketing tactics to meet the unique demands of the healthcare industry.
The most interesting client project you’ve worked on?
I'm excited to share our new project: using AI to explore unfiltered social conversation and create campaign messaging optimized for healthcare professionals (HCPs). It's an exciting new way to communicate in healthcare.
We're using AI to understand and refine how we talk to HCPs, based on the synthesis of massive troves of disparate data. We're going through real conversations, finding key insights, and creating a story that speaks to doctors using their own words.
This new idea is powered by AI, expert analysis, and rigorous testing. We're making sure each message we write is smart, strategic, and super effective.
The best part is the process – we're always making, checking, and improving our communication to set new standards in the industry. It's a story in the making, a project on the move, and definitely the most exciting thing on my to-do list: using AI to change the game in healthcare marketing.
What’s the one thing that no social listening technology has cracked yet?
Understanding how people communicate can be a tricky problem for technology. There are so many different aspects of how we interact, like context, emotions, and cultural diversity. Our language is full of subtle meanings, like jokes, sarcasm, and different dialects, that are hard for current tools to fully understand.
Even beyond just written words, images and videos can also tell a story. This is something that is just starting to be explored, and it's even harder to analyze in real-time during fast-paced events.
But the challenges don't stop there. There are also ethical concerns about using people's personal data, especially with strict rules and regulations in place.
Despite these difficulties, I am excited about the potential of AI. The field is constantly evolving, and it is this pioneering spirit—this relentless drive to explore the uncharted—that makes my work at Real Chemistry so exciting. Every single day I’m awe-inspired by the potential of what can be achieved, and I’m proud of the efforts we’ve dedicated to surmounting these challenges, driving us towards a future where machines can truly 'listen' and 'understand' the human narrative in all its complexity.
What do you see as technology’s role in social listening?
In the realm of AI, machine learning, and audience intelligence—my area of expertise—the technology's role is to push the boundaries of what's possible. As our algorithms become more intelligent and our datasets richer, we edge closer toward capturing the full spectrum of human sentiment and interaction online. My work plays into this narrative, driving the technology toward ever-greater sensitivity and precision, ensuring that our digital environments become truly responsive to the undercurrents of human engagement. This technological progression is not just an academic pursuit; it's a journey toward creating more empathetic, responsive, and connected digital experiences.
What do you think is the future of social listening?
The landscape of social listening is rapidly shifting towards platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Images and videos are becoming the coin of the realm in social content and engage audiences in a more direct, emotive, and impactful way than text alone. But interpreting the wealth of data in images and videos at scale remains largely untapped.
I collaborate with a brilliant team of engineers, data scientists, and analysts. Our work is centrally focused on harnessing cutting-edge tools to tackle this challenge. We are developing technologies that can discern content patterns, brand presence, sentiment, and even emerging trends from visual content, turning unstructured data into actionable insights.
This will revolutionize how brands interact with consumers, providing a multidimensional perspective on marketing effectiveness and brand reputation. It’s a thrilling time to be at the forefront of transforming social listening from a practice that ‘listens’ to one that can ‘see’ in the fullest sense.
Let’s talk about 2024, what your goals? what obstacles will you be overcoming? what are you looking to achieve?
I’ll be leading our newly launched genAI incubator program that brings in cross-functional leadership from all of our capability areas to quickly identify bold ideas, iterate with new technologies, and pioneer novel approaches.
We’re accelerating the practical application of generative AI within our company, turning cutting-edge technology into commercial solutions that make a real impact. We will cultivate a culture of continuous learning and rapid upskilling across the organization, ensuring that every member of our team is equipped to leverage the benefits of AI to enhance our services.
This is not just about propelling our agency forward—Real Chemistry already has deep experience with AI—it's about ensuring our clients are well-equipped to capitalize on the industry's advancements. We are committed to democratizing access to advanced technologies by building platforms and products that empower our clients with the tools for deep insight. This means clients can take more control over their decision-making processes, backed by cutting-edge AI-enabled insights.
By the end of 2024, I aim to ensure that Real Chemistry is not only at the forefront of generative AI application in healthcare communications, but also recognized as an incubator for the most innovative solutions that drive the industry forward.
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