What is your job title? How do you use social listening in your work?
I am Global Social Intelligence Development Lead at the Integrated Marketing Services at Nestlé. My role is to support the evolution and the expansion of social intelligence practices at Nestlé. This involves setting up best practices, implementing processes, helping to develop new methodologies and build capabilities globally across our business centers. A big part of it is also to understand stakeholders business needs so we can collaborate in innovative cross-functional initiatives.
What’s your background? How did you get into social listening?
My background is in Communications. I started my career as a Copywriter in advertising agencies but soon shifted to social media management and digital marketing planning, due to my growing interest in strategy. Social listening and analytics became essential elements of my approach as they provided insights for future strategies. Over time, I fell in love with the field of social insights, where I can combine my passions for technology and human behavior.
What has been your biggest achievement?
I am very proud of how far I have come to be able to be a voice of influence in my area of expertise, especially being an introvert by nature. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working alongside inspiring leaders who have helped shape my path. To me, it's a significant achievement to have the opportunity to pay this forward by inspiring others in the realm of Social Intelligence, both within my workplace and beyond.
What’s the boldest mistake you’ve made? What did you learn from it?
Early in my career, I may have been overly preoccupied with my technical abilities and proficiency with data analysis tools. I believed that success in this field relied solely on mastering technical skills and possibly even transitioning towards becoming a data scientist. However, I quickly learned that Social Intelligence is much more about curiosity, logical thinking, and being able to solve problems. While technical skills are undoubtedly important, soft skills are equally if not more critical. Experiencing this shift in mindset has not only taught me to value my strengths but also to cultivate a culture that encourages curiosity and passion for insights.
What would be your dream project to work on?
I find myself in my element when working on projects centered around innovation and the development of new solutions, which is exactly what I’m doing now. I enjoy the challenge of translating business problems into innovative approaches that leverage and democratize social data. I am fortunate to be already involved in several dream projects, especially those collaborating with R&D and Strategy teams, areas I am passionate about.
Do you think there’s a right way and a wrong way to use social data?
Social data can be incredibly versatile and offers numerous approaches for utilization, so what constitutes the "right" approach often depends on the specific context and objectives. However, there are definitely wrong ways to use social data. Like any other research methods, a lack of clear objectives and methodologies can result in misinterpretation or leave you without any valuable insights.
Are there areas where you think you should be using social data for but aren’t currently?
We currently utilize social data across a range of cases, including more complex realms such as product development and strategy. Of course there are opportunities for even more consistent and seamless utilization. My objective is to establish frameworks that facilitate the seamless integration of social data and holistic analysis with other data sources to further increase the value of this intelligence beyond digital marketing realms.
What’s your favourite data source to use and why?
Search data is one of my favorites. Depending on the use case, it can provide invaluable insights into more silent behaviors and intentions, particularly when we have access to searches from platforms beyond Google, such as Amazon, TikTok, YouTube, or Pinterest. Definitely very powerful when combined with social data!
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