What is your job title? How do you use social listening in your work?
As a Global Social Intelligence Manager at Warner Bros. Discovery, social listening is the core of my work. I leverage social data to drive impactful business decisions across local, regional, and global markets, acting as a bridge between our audiences and various departments like marketing, content, and research. By uncovering consumer preferences, industry trends, and campaign performance through social listening, I help identify opportunities for new productions, optimize marketing strategies, and greenlight content resonating with diverse audiences worldwide.
What attracted you to social listening?
Social listening perfectly blends my two passions: research and understanding human behavior. I’m an observant and inquisitive person whose passion led me to investigate culture, sociability, and self-expression in the digital age. When I first got into contact with social listening, I was fascinated by the possibility of learning new methods and techniques and uncovering genuine cultural expressions directly from people’s conversations. The ability to access diverse perspectives and local nuances truly drew me in and helped me paint a more complete picture. Moreover, the ability to translate this data into actionable insights and bridge meaningful connections between brands and consumers challenged and motivated me to be more creative and inquisitive.
What’s the hardest thing you have learned or challenge you’ve overcome? How did you do it?
Navigating the complexity of human language and cultural nuances in social listening is both challenging and rewarding. One specific challenge is understanding slang terms unique to different regions and fandoms, and the language's rapidly evolving nature. By diving into online communities, keeping up with cultural studies, and continuous learning, I ensure my insights remain relevant and nuanced across diverse territories like the United States, Brazil, and Mexico.
What’s your career highlight to date?
A career highlight for me was developing a groundbreaking methodology for real-time tracking that enabled me to identify previously unseen affinities between consumers and brands. This allowed me to unlock crucial insights on what truly resonates with audiences, leading to targeted and impactful marketing campaigns. This experience solidified my enthusiasm for utilizing data to drive effective, customer-centric business impact.
What key skills you need to get started in social listening?
To dive into social listening, curiosity, strong analytical skills, and great communication are crucial. You have to be able to spot subtle linguistic cues, uncover hidden stories, and make sense of a large set of data. Understanding human behavior and embracing intercultural sensitivity are also key to ensure accurate interpretation of sentiment across different cultures. Furthermore, the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights has the power to drive real business results.
Is working in social listening what you expected?
Working with social listening has exceeded my expectations. The diversity of human voices and the dynamic nature of online conversations constantly push me to evolve and uncover deeper layers of understanding and creative techniques to approach social data. Witnessing the tangible impact of my work on the real-world also fuels my passion for this field. It's an incredibly rewarding journey, constantly challenging my perspectives and reminding me of the fascinating power of human connection.
Is there anyone in the industry you look up to?
I'm deeply fascinated about cultural studies and digital anthropology, particularly how they can help us understand online behavior and its impact on society. This interest fuels my work in social listening, and I'm constantly drawing on insights from researchers like Daniel Miller, whose work on digital cultures has been instrumental in shaping my understanding of our complex relationship with technology. Here in Brazil, I'm also inspired by Monica Machado's innovative investigations in the field, analyzing online discourse with greater cultural sensitivity.
By integrating these perspectives into my work, I better navigate the complexities of online culture, decode hidden meanings, and ultimately, improve my listening methods.
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