What does social intelligence mean to you?
Social intelligence is about turning online conversations and behaviours —from social posts to product reviews, forum debates and search terms—into practical insights that help organisations make better decisions. Alongside traditional surveys or focus groups, it offers a real-time, unfiltered view of how people discuss, critique, and discover the world. This broad perspective helps teams fine-tune marketing, spark product innovation, and improve overall end-user experiences.
But the real power of social intelligence goes beyond day-to-day business strategy. Looking ahead, it could serve as a more candid conduit for people’s opinions and perspectives - highlighting emerging interests and cultural shifts before they hit the mainstream. By knitting together viewpoints across regions and demographics, social intelligence isn’t just another data source; it’s a chance for organisations to truly connect with the communities they serve. If approached ethically and transparently, it can guide brands to become more empathetic, forward-thinking, and open - effectively turning everyday online chatter into a bridge between populations and those working to meet their wants and needs.
What are you doing that no-one else is to drive the social intelligence industry forward?
In a space so dominated by such innovative thinkers, it’s hard to imagine anyone is doing anything truly unique. Personally, I’ve made it a priority to tap into niche data sources - everything from specialised communities to obscure forums - to uncover insights easily overlooked.
Beyond that, focusing on capturing real language complexity: emerging dialects, colloquialisms, common misspellings and “hybrid” forms of speech like Franglais, Hinglish, or Spanglish. By weaving these authentic expressions into our queries, we don’t just gather more data; we gather more representative data that mirrors today’s diverse societies, no matter the market in question.
This emphasis on authenticity ensures that organisations see the full spectrum of how people talk and think - not just a sanitised, homogenous sample. It helps shape more meaningful products, campaigns, and engagement strategies that actually speak to people’s everyday realities. I think what sets this approach apart is a commitment to honouring the diversity of how we, humans, speak as more than just a box to check. It’s a route to richer understanding, deeper empathy, and more impactful decision-making - which, imo, is one way we can collectively drive the social intelligence industry forward.
Have you got a favourite social intelligence use case or case study from the last year?
One use case I’ve found especially insightful is to leverage social intelligence to focus on the emotional drivers behind purchases (seasonal holiday-buys were a particular favourite study) . In our work, we’ve used Ipsos Synthesio’s Generative AI feature, “Signals GenAI,” tapping into its “Purchase Triggers” prompt (among many others) to explore how feelings like nostalgia, romance, or family bonding influence buying decisions. This insight goes far beyond just checking sentiment scores; it reveals the deeper “why” behind consumer behavior.
I also enjoyed exploring how replicating this exercise across multiple markets and languages democratises planning, giving local teams the flexibility to adapt messages for their unique cultural contexts. For instance, “nostalgia” might conjure very different memories in one region versus another, and “family bonding” may look entirely different across various cultures. Understanding these nuances transforms raw data into an empathetic blueprint for building meaningful campaigns or product offerings - ones that truly connect with people’s real-life experiences.
What’s the biggest challenge technology providers face in social intelligence?
Data fragmentation remains one of the biggest challenges for technology providers in social intelligence. Changing API rules, platform policies, and privacy regulations make it difficult to pull data from multiple sources - like social posts, product reviews, search data, and even offline information - into a single, seamless view.
Yet access to data alone isn’t enough. In today’s fast-paced world, clients need insights they can act on immediately. That means simplifying processes and shortening the time-to-insight - delivering dashboards and workflows that cut through complexity and guide teams toward answers quickly. It also calls for blending social intelligence with other KPIs or research methods (like sales metrics or brand tracking), so the bigger picture comes into focus. By refining user experiences, building use case-specific solutions, and integrating social insights with broader business data, technology providers can help organisations truly harness the power of social intelligence - and do so in a way that drives real impact, not just more data.
It’s really about creating user-friendly solutions that unify diverse data streams in one place.
A common misconception is that social listening is all Twitter data, how are you overcoming this perception?
This question calls for multiple strategies, and it definitely bears repeating. First, we need to acknowledge that Twitter volumes can indeed be huge. However, it’s crucial to overcome the perception that social listening is “all Twitter” by emphasising the diversity of available data sources - Reddit, niche forums, product reviews, and beyond - each with its own potential value and use cases. Showcasing multi-platform case studies is key here, because some of the richest insights often come from unexpected places (like discovering a hidden preference for ethical oat-based treats via chocolate subreddits).
I also like to position social intelligence as an always-evolving ecosystem, where channels emerge, grow, or fade depending on shifts in culture or user behavior. In the same vein, matching social data with other custom or private datasets can reduce the pressure on Twitter-heavy datasets, providing a more complete, holistic view. Bringing clients along in this process creates joint accountability and informed champions: we collectively build data sets that reflect the real needs of the organisation, and in doing so, break free of the “it’s all Twitter” narrative.
Let’s say you have a new client who is trying to take social listening more seriously, what advice would you give them? Where should they start?
First, get crystal clear on what you want to achieve - whether it’s improving brand image, uncovering innovation opportunities, or managing a crisis - and focus your efforts on the channels and conversations that matter most for those goals. Next, invest in data integrity by building strong queries, filtering out the noise, and adjusting for language differences. A short pilot project that uncovers an unexpected consumer insight can go a long way toward illustrating the power of social intelligence to your internal stakeholders!
Finally, treat social intelligence as more than a tactical tool. By leveraging it for broader category-level insights - such as spotting early signals around sustainability or evolving consumer preferences - you can guide longer-term decisions in product development, supply chain, and leadership discussions. That way, social intelligence isn’t just about quick wins; it becomes an ongoing source of foresight that shapes how you adapt to changing market conditions. In essence, pitch and demonstrate social intelligence as a way of ensuring you stay ahead of shifts in culture, ethics, and consumer expectations - and that kind of forward-looking approach will pay dividends far beyond any single campaign study.
Generative AI has changed the way we think about our work. What's the next big thing to shake up the industry?
It's true that Generative AI has already transformed how we view social intelligence, but I believe the real shake-up will come from how, including tangential/ AI-augmented technologies, are used rather than the technology itself. Vendors who make AI more accessible - through intuitive interfaces, advanced prompting, and user-friendly predictive models - are the ones who’ll truly change the game. Imagine being able to segment audiences on the fly, generate insights in seconds, or run “what-if” analyses across multiple markets - all within a single platform.
That said, technology alone won’t define the future. We’re heading into an even more socially and politically charged world, where misinformation campaigns and polarised online spaces pose serious challenges. We'll have to keep pace, both in filtering out false narratives and whilst still understanding what drives them. This means using AI not just to accelerate insights, but also to vet them, ensuring ethical usage and reliable data. In many ways, the industry’s next big leap isn’t just about having Generative AI - it’s about deploying it responsibly and cleverly, building trust in a world where the lines between fact and fiction are blurrier than ever.
What are you looking forward to in social listening for 2025?
2025 is shaping up to be a year of heightened social and political volatility. Against this backdrop, social intelligence will be more vital than ever for organisations looking to understand how people think and feel… often within deepening silos and echo chambers. So, our work in this industry isn’t just about capturing data; it’s about knitting together diverse points of view from across increasingly fragmented platforms, helping to navigate the turbulence with clarity and empathy.
In 2025, I am looking forward to working alongside clients to use social intelligence as a compass, actively listening for population/consumer concerns - whether that be around climate change, sustainability concerns, human rights issues, conscious purchasing decisions, and responsible data usage (the list could go on…) - and engage those insights to communicate and to innovate responsibly. I’d like to imagine that we’ll see social intelligence begin to mature into a form of “social stewardship” - guiding brands and industries who care, to listen, learn, lead, and move society forward.
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