What does social intelligence mean to you?
Social intelligence is about understanding the human stories, emotions, and trends that shape our world - not just data. It’s about uncovering what drives people, what inspires them, and what they expect from brands. My passion for social intelligence comes from its transformative power: helping brands not only stay relevant but also connect authentically with their audiences. Leading social listening operations across Europe, I’ve seen how these insights spark innovation, prevent crises, and amplify campaigns, making social intelligence a game-changer for modern businesses.
What skills do social listeners need to succeed?
To succeed in social listening, you need critical thinking to turn raw data into meaningful stories and storytelling skills to make those insights actionable for stakeholders. Proficiency in Social Listening tools combined with expertise in AI ensures agility in analysis and prediction. Adaptability is also vital for collaboration and aligning insights with business goals.
Biggest challenge to social intelligence adoption in brands?
One of the biggest challenges is resistance to change and a lack of understanding about the strategic value of social listening. To tackle this, I’ve designed training programs that upskill teams and demonstrate tangible ROI, like creating KPI dashboards that cut reporting time by 50%, and also educating marketing and communication teams on how social listening can help them improve campaigns, prevent crisis, and provide inspirational ideas for product development.
Favourite use case for social intelligence and what decisions can the insight help support?
My favorite use case is using consumer insights to drive product innovation and brand strategy. For instance, we analyzed Gen Z trends on TikTok to launch drinks that pair well with spicy food, a growing trend. By analyzing hashtags, user-generated content, and engagement patterns, we identified community behaviors, key influencers, and preferences that helped shape not only the marketing strategy but also inspired product design and portfolio strategy. Social listening enabled us to connect with an audience authentically and position products that aligned with their lifestyles. This is the power of social intelligence—it informs decisions across multiple touchpoints, from creative direction to operational focus, ensuring the brand remains agile and audience-centric.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to do more with social data than just brand tracking or campaign monitoring?
Social listening goes far beyond brand tracking. My advice? Use it to guide product development, improve customer experiences, and prevent crises. For example, social listening tools equipped with predictive capabilities can analyze spikes in conversation volume or sentiment changes, alerting communication teams early to mitigate potential reputational crises.
Another impactful application is trend identification. A specific example from my experience was using social listening to identify interest in beverage mixability trends. The insights supported not just campaign ideation but also product innovation, ensuring alignment with consumer behaviors and preferences.
The key is to see social data not just as a reactive tool but as a proactive asset that empowers brands to anticipate challenges, seize opportunities, and remain ahead of the curve.
Gen AI in social listening: hype or helpful?
GenAI is incredibly helpful when applied strategically in social listening. It speeds up sentiment analysis, trend detection, and topic modeling, processing data with unmatched accuracy. For example, GenAI can help uncover nuanced sentiment shifts in conversations or predict emerging topics, enabling brands to act proactively.
While working on social listening projects, I’ve seen the potential of GenAI in automating the extraction of actionable insights from vast datasets, saving time for analysts and improving accuracy. These tools are not just about automation—they amplify the ability to interpret complex online behaviors and conversations.
The key is to combine GenAI with human expertise. Analysts bring the context and strategic thinking that ensure insights are actionable and aligned with business goals. Used thoughtfully, GenAI is a transformative force in the field of social listening, making it less hype and more of a game-changer.
If we could grant you one wish to help your social intelligence practice succeed, what would you ask for?
I’d wish for a universal, real-time analytics platform that integrates all my data sources into one cohesive system. It would make scaling and efficiency seamless, enabling smarter, faster decisions.
If you were to start your social intelligence team from scratch what three things would you do first?
Starting from scratch, I’d first define the team’s purpose and align it with the brand’s goals—whether it’s trend analysis, crisis monitoring, or campaign evaluation.
Next, I’d invest in scalable, AI-enabled social media tools that provide robust capabilities for handling large volumes of data across markets and languages efficiently.
Finally, I’d build a team with a mix of analytical and storytelling skills to turn insights into action.
What are you looking forward to in social listening for 2025?
In 2025, I’m excited about the potential of advanced AI in social listening tools for predictive analytics. It’ll help brands anticipate trends and craft proactive strategies. I’m also looking forward to better tools that integrate data from multiple sources, enabling deeper consumer insights and more connected strategies.
Get Social with SILab
