More and more researchers are waking up to the reality that mining the growing volume of conversations on blogs, message boards and social networking sites (i. e., “listening” to consumers) can provide timely, penetrating insights on a wide range of issues and brands.

A series of parallel studies we conducted with Procter & Gamble demonstrates that both surveys and listening are often required to tell the whole story. We looked at a number of brands and products: everything from orange juice, to razor blades, to the infomercial hit, the Snuggie.

While surveys provide a sense of size or magnitude but are not ideal for capturing passion or intensity. That’s where listening comes in. Both magnitude and intensity are essential to capturing the “energy” associated with consumer beliefs. Perhaps the most significant finding of our investigations is that when it comes to deciding the best course of action to pursue in the marketplace, understanding intensity can be just as important as understanding magnitude.

One real-world case in which “listening” to consumers informed a course correction for Tropicana, was when they redesigned their Pure Premium packaging. After tracking intense commentary on the web, the brand went back to its original iconic look.

“What we didn’t get was the passion this very loyal small group of consumer have,” noted Neil Campbell, President, Tropicana North America. “That was something that came out in the research.”

Asking is More Left Brain… Listening is More Right Brain

Another brand that employed listening was Snuggie, the blanket/robe hybrid that became a viral web sensation, spawning tributes, You Tube parodies, and enough buzz to land it on the “Today Show.” “We were definitely in on the joke,” noted Scott Boilen, CEO of AllStar Marketing, the firm behind the ads. “Do we expect a family to wear these to a football game? No.”

Tracking Snuggie conversations online and employing Nielsen Online’s Brand Association Map (BAM), the results show responses and associations with the brand that are more “right brain,” allowing for more emotional, immediate and contextual understanding when compared with the survey responses.

Related Post:
Consumers Spread Word Of Peanut Butter Recall Online

Note how pockets of negativity cluster around the term “peanut butter” on the post-event BAM. This suggests that the majority of consumers who discussed peanut butter in this time frame repeatedly mentioned the outbreak. Also note the lack of any brand presence on the pre-recall BAM vs. the post-recall. Before the crisis hit, consumers were mentioning peanut butter without a brand connotation or as a generic recipe ingredient; post-outbreak, consumers educate others by mentioning specific brands associated with the recall. Because consumers are spreading the word about the recall, brands need to make sure that the information is accurate and credible. Brand can best control this type of situation by having a defensive branding strategy in place for such events.

Key questions brands need to ask during a crisis:

• Are we set up internally to address a crisis online?
• Where online are consumers discussing this crisis and how do we plan on monitoring it?
• Is our brand/product at fault?
• Where can we make a difference on the Internet?
• What needs to be done to react quickly and credibly?

Hear more from Nielsen’s Pete Blackshaw on listening.

An analysis of GM-related online buzz between September 1 and October 24, 2008 found that consumer chatter on Internet message boards and blogs has focused on how Detroit would change if GM and Chrysler joined forces — and which vehicles might survive the merger.

GM’s forthcoming electric car, the Chevy Volt, also drove a significant portion of GM’s online buzz during the last two months — as did discussions of plant closures, the United Autoworkers union, and the company’s 100th anniversary.

View Nielsen’s proprietary Brand Association Map (BAM) for GM, which charts the attributes most closely associated with the company in online discussions.  The BAM analysis provides an unaided, unsolicited, real-time barometer of consumer perceptions of and attitudes toward a topic discussed online.

What are your thoughts on a GM-Chrysler merger?  Submit your comments below.

In the coming months, the “Monthly Automotive Industry Overview” will include staple features such as top blog posts, most-cited online news articles, “buzz” trends of the top six automotive manufacturers, as well as key topics that are influencing online discussion about the automotive industry. For more information or a complete copy of the report, visit Nielsen Online.