Consumers talk about brands and industry trends all the time. They share complaints, recommend products, and discuss their experiences on social platforms.
Smart companies analyze these conversations through social listening and use them to make better business decisions.
We've collected the most impressive social listening examples from leading brands to inspire your 2025 strategy. Each case offers practical takeaways and tips you can implement right away.
Jump directly to examples that interest you:
- McDonald's price increase response
- Duolingo's "Duo's death" campaign
- Stanley's cup viral car fire moment
- Estée Lauder's collaboration with Kenz Lawren
- Lyft's missing pet crisis management
- Samsung's reaction to Apple's "Crush" ad
- Australian Lamb's generational ad
- Starbucks' community engagement
- UK airline industry response
- Barbie movie's BTS connection
- CoverGirl's influencer strategy
Or keep reading.
What is an example of social listening?
Social listening starts with tracking and managing online conversations about your brand.
You monitor various social media channels to track when customers mention your company or product, then respond appropriately.
But successful brands don’t stop there. They build a comprehensive social listening strategy to:
- Prevent potential social media crises. A surge in negative comments about a product feature or a service lets you address problems before they escalate
- Create content based on real conversations. When customers frequently discuss specific industry pain points, you know exactly what topics to cover next
- Discover product opportunities through customer feedback. Repeated complaints about the same problem often reveal gaps in the market
- Build stronger communities by finding and engaging brand advocates. Finding positive mentions helps you spot loyal customers and amplify their stories
- Design marketing campaigns using audience insights. Social conversations reveal which messages resonate with your target audience, when to launch campaigns, and which partnerships make sense
- Track competitors to learn from their successes and missteps. Their customers' feedback can inform your own strategy
All this helps brands anticipate problems, identify opportunities, and connect with customers more effectively.
Let's see how leading companies put them into action.
Top 11 social listening examples
Here's how famous brands used real-time social listening to solve problems and find opportunities.
Some caught PR issues before they exploded. Others found new product ideas in customer complaints. A few spotted trends nobody else saw coming.
You'll see how McDonald's handled price backlash, how Stanley turned a car fire into a marketing win, and how Samsung made Apple's ad misstep work in their favor.
These examples provide clear use cases for implementing social listening in your business.
1. McDonald’s price increase: Responding to negative sentiment
McDonald's faced intense backlash when menu prices surged in early 2024.
Customers shared photos of $18 Big Macs on social media, sparking widespread criticism about the chain's value proposition.
Social media conversations about McDonald's prices spiked between January and March 2024. Please add the numbers, e.g., X negative mentions/change in sentiment.
[Talkwalker data: Add spike in negative mentions percentage for McDonalds in early 2024]
The criticism centered on specific menu items, with customers comparing current prices to previous years.
In response, McDonald's launched a $5 meal deal nationwide and issued a statement addressing price concerns.
CEO Chris Kempczinski also announced plans to slow future price increases during a shareholder call, acknowledging customer feedback about affordability.
The strategy showed some positive results, although customers remained skeptical about the company’s direction.
Key takeaways:
- Monitor price- and product-related conversations to catch negative customer sentiment
- Back up social listening data with concrete actions in addition to PR statements
- Address specific customer complaints with targeted solutions
- Keep tracking sentiment after implementing changes to measure impact
2. Duolingo’s "Duo’s death": Capitalizing on customer conversations
In February 2025, Duolingo launched a provocative marketing campaign announcing the "death" of Duo, their iconic owl mascot.
The language learning app shared the news across social media platforms with a somber post: "It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead."
It then added “Tbh, he probably died qaiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.”
Really funny, but also really smart. Because this unexpected announcement wasn't a random marketing stunt.
It was a strategic response to years of social media memes about Duo's aggressive notifications.
Users had long joked about being "hunted down" by the owl for missing lessons, creating an entire subculture of Duolingo-related humor.
By monitoring these conversations, Duolingo recognized that their mascot had transcended the app to become a cultural phenomenon. Rather than fighting the meme, they embraced it with this campaign that quickly became viral.
The "death" announcement sparked massive engagement across platforms.
Major brands and celebrities also joined the conversation, including pop star Dua Lipa who responded with "'Til death duo part."
Once Duo was "resurrected", Duolingo's team posted a video explaining the idea behind Duo's "stunt"—clearly showcasing the enormous level of engagement generated by this campaign.
Key takeaways:
- Turn potentially negative memes and trends into marketing opportunities
- Monitor how your brand evolves in customer conversations and act on it
- Embrace your brand's cultural position, even if it differs from your original intention
- Create campaigns that acknowledge and build upon existing customer jokes and memes
- Use social listening to identify the emotional connection users have with your brand elements
3. Stanley’s cup and car fire: Boosting customer satisfaction
A Stanley cup withstood a devastating car fire, and the company turned this unexpected event into their best marketing story yet.
In November 2023, TikTok user @danimarielettering posted a video showing her Stanley cup intact after her car burned completely. In fact, even ice remained inside the cup despite the intense fire.
The TikTok went viral, reaching 9+ million views and perfectly illustrating the brand's durability claims.
How did Stanley react?
They didn't stop at a simple thank-you comment.
The company's president reached out directly to the customer and offered to replace her car. This generous response generated an additional 21.8k brand mentions (according to Talkwalker data), further amplifying the story's reach.
The incident provided Stanley with authentic proof of their product quality that no planned marketing campaign could have achieved.
By monitoring and quickly responding to this unexpected social media moment, the brand transformed a customer's unfortunate situation into a powerful brand story.
And Stanley's generous gesture to replace the customer's car received widespread praise and support across social media.
Key takeaways:
- Monitor all sorts of brand mentions, not just complaints or standard feedback
- Look for unexpected product uses or situations that validate your value proposition
- Act quickly when authentic brand moments emerge on social media
- Consider grand gestures to create viral customer stories
- Use real customer experiences to reinforce brand messaging
4. Estée Lauder's Collaboration with Kenz Lawren: Content inspiration
Estée Lauder showed how social listening can help brands find creative talent and campaign ideas directly from social media users.
Content creator Kenz Lawren posted an innovative beauty shoot on social media that quickly gained traction.
The high-concept content featured creative makeup and styling that aligned perfectly with Estée Lauder's aesthetic, though it wasn't sponsored or connected to the brand.
Estée Lauder's team spotted the viral content and recognized its potential. They contacted Lawren and hired her to develop an official campaign based on her original concept.
The collaboration transformed user-generated content into a professional brand campaign.
Lawren shared the news on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, encouraging other creators to share their work boldly, noting that "brands are watching."
This type of authentic collaboration builds credibility with content creators and audiences who value originality.
Key takeaways:
- Monitor creative content in your broader industry
- Look for emerging creators whose aesthetic matches your brand vision
- Collaborate with original creators rather than copying viral ideas
- Build trust by legitimizing and compensating creative work
- Use social listening to discover fresh perspectives for brand campaigns
5. Lyft and the lost pet: Crisis management
Lyft turned a potential PR disaster into a positive story through quick action and community engagement.
In September 2023, a Lyft customer's cat went missing after a trip to the vet.
The distressed pet owner took to Twitter with the story, and the post exploded—reaching over 10 million views and generating 26.9k engagements.
Users began tagging Lyft in comments, demanding action to find the missing cat named "Tux."
The rapidly spreading story created a spike in negative mentions for Lyft.
The company quickly jumped into action after spotting the viral post. They engaged directly with the customer, deployed their team to investigate the situation, and helped coordinate the search for Tux.
When the cat was successfully found, Lyft announced the good news on their official channels. They promised an investigation into how the incident occurred to prevent similar situations in the future.
Lyft’s CEO also posted using his personal account:
Key takeaways:
- Monitor social media for customer issues before they go viral
- Respond quickly to emotionally charged situations
- Take concrete action beyond public statements
- Keep the community updated on resolution progress
- Show genuine concern for customers' emotional well-being
6. Samsung’s reaction to Apple’s ‘Crush’ add: Competitor tracking
Samsung demonstrated how monitoring competitors' social reception can create opportunities for your own brand.
In 2024, Apple released a controversial ad called "Crush" to promote their new iPad Pro.
The commercial showed a hydraulic press destroying musical instruments, books, cameras, and other creative tools—ultimately revealing the iPad as the all-in-one replacement.
The messaging backfired spectacularly.
Artists, musicians, and creators voiced immediate outrage across social platforms. Many interpreted the ad as dismissive of traditional creative tools and insulting to people who use them.
Even celebrities joined the criticism, with actor Hugh Grant calling the ad "the destruction of human civilization."
But what happened next is even more curious.
Samsung's social listening team spotted the backlash and acted quickly. They created their own response video celebrating creative tools rather than destroying them.
The contrast positioned Samsung as a brand that respects creative traditions while still embracing technology.
Key takeaways:
- Monitor your competitors' campaigns and audience reactions
- Identify opportunities when competitor messaging misses the mark
- Respond quickly to cultural conversations while they're still relevant
- Use competitor analysis to avoid similar messaging mistakes in your own campaigns
7. Australian Lamb’s ad: Trend analysis
Australian Lamb turned cultural tensions into marketing success by monitoring social conversations about generational divides.
In January 2024, the brand released an ad that tackled generational stereotypes head-on.
The humorous commercial brought together people of different ages to break down misconceptions and share a meal of lamb.
The campaign wasn't created in a vacuum.
In the three months prior to launch, social media conversations mentioned the "generation gap" 26.6k times, according to Talkwalker data. This identified the topic as a meaningful conversation to engage with.
The advertisement resonated with multiple age groups precisely because it addressed real tensions people were discussing online.
The approach paid off, with the ad reaching over 1.4 million views and generating mentions across global markets.
By tapping into an existing conversation, Australian Lamb created content that felt relevant and timely.
Key takeaways:
- Track emerging social trends to spot relevant conversation topics
- Use social listening to understand cultural tensions you can address
- Create content that effectively joins existing conversations
- Address divisive topics with humor and inclusivity
- Monitor how your audience discusses societal issues before joining the conversation
8. Starbucks social media interactions: Community management
Starbucks does a great job building community through active social media engagement.
The brand maintains a consistent presence across platforms and leverages pro-active community management. Starbucks responds to customer posts, comments, and questions with personalized replies that feel genuine and conversational.
When customers share their Starbucks experiences, the brand comments specifically about the drink choice or location.
They ask follow-up questions, use emojis naturally, and create real conversations with their community.
This approach generates substantial user-generated content.
Customers regularly tag Starbucks hoping to get recognized, effectively creating a volunteer marketing network for the brand. It also helps the company connect with its customers on a much more human and personal level.
Key takeaways:
- Respond to positive mentions, not just complaints
- Personalize responses to show you're really listening
- Ask questions to keep conversations going
- Create a consistent brand voice that feels human and approachable
- Encourage user-generated content through consistent engagement
9. UK air traffic control chaos: Protecting brand reputation
Sometimes, crises hit entire industries at once. The UK airline industry faced this challenge in August 2023.
The UK's flight planning system crashed without warning, causing massive travel disruptions. More than 500 inbound and outbound flights were canceled, stranding thousands of passengers and creating a social media firestorm.
Various airlines faced overwhelming negative sentiment as travelers vented about canceled plans. People were confused about various issues like compensation options and assistance for disrupted travelers.
The airlines that recovered fastest in public perception were those that provided clear information about passenger rights and compensation processes.
For example, JetBlue actively communicated with passengers and outlined their compensation clearly, aiding their reputation recovery.
In contrast, Ryanair, despite its criticisms of the air traffic control system, did not focus as heavily on direct passenger communication, which may have slowed its recovery in public perception.
Key takeaways:
- Identify information gaps during crises through social listening
- Provide clear answers to common questions that emerge in social conversations
- Share compensation and assistance information proactively
- Track sentiment across your industry to benchmark your crisis response and monitor overall brand health.
- Prepare crisis response templates based on previous industry disruptions
10. Barbie movie's K-Pop connection: Finding opportunities for organic influencer marketing
The "Barbie" movie marketing team spotted an unexpected fashion coincidence between their film and K-pop.
In July 2023, fans on social media noticed that Ryan Gosling's Ken outfit in the "Barbie" movie resembled an outfit worn by BTS member Jimin in a music video.
This observation spread quickly among both movie fans and BTS's dedicated followers.
The marketing team capitalized on this fan discussion. They created a video where Ryan Gosling directly addressed Jimin, acknowledging the outfit similarity.
Gosling offered Jimin his Ken guitar as a friendly gesture, saying, "I have to give it to you—you wore it first."
Jimin responded with his own video thanking Gosling and expressing excitement about the movie. This exchange created a perfect cross-promotional moment that neither side had planned.
Key takeaways:
- Monitor fan theories and observations about your brand
- Look for crossover opportunities with other cultural phenomena
- Create authentic interactions that respect both fan communities
- Use social listening to identify unexpected marketing opportunities
11. CoverGirl’s content makeover: Enhancing influencer discovery
CoverGirl revamped its marketing approach after discovering changing consumer preferences.
In 2023, the brand faced declining sales in the competitive drugstore makeup sector.
By analyzing social media conversations, the company discovered that consumers increasingly trusted smaller content creators over traditional celebrities.
CoverGirl pivoted their strategy in response.
They established content development studios in key cities like New York and Miami where micro-influencers could create authentic content featuring CoverGirl products. These partnerships emphasized genuine product reviews over highly produced advertising.
The strategy worked.
According to Coty CEO Sue Nabi, CoverGirl's earned media increased 80% year-over-year following the implementation of this approach.
The company's fiscal year 2024 results also showed 10% growth on a reported basis and 11% on a like-for-like basis.
Key takeaways:
- Analyze social media data to spot shifting consumer patterns in your industry
- Track engagement rates across different influencer categories
- Create infrastructure to support authentic content creation
- Prioritize relatability over reach in influencer partnerships
- Use social listening to discover emerging content creators
FAQs
Before we wrap up, let’s address some of the popular questions about social listening.
How do you practice social listening?
Start with a social listening tool that monitors relevant keywords and sentiment across platforms. Set up tracking for your brand name, products, competitors, and industry terms. Review these mentions regularly to identify patterns and insights. Act on what you learn by adjusting your marketing strategy, responding to customers, or developing new products based on feedback.
How many brands use social listening?
While exact adoption rates vary by industry and company size, social listening has become a standard practice for brands of all kinds. Large enterprises usually have dedicated teams and advanced monitoring tools, while smaller businesses use simpler solutions to stay on top of industry trends and grow their social media presence.
What is the best social listening tool?
The best social media analytics software depends on your specific needs and budget. For example, Talkwalker offers social listening, sentiment analysis, and advanced AI features for enterprise users. But if you’re looking for something more basic, social media management tools like Hootsuite can be a better fit. When choosing a tool, look for features like sentiment analysis, trend detection, competitor tracking, and integration with your existing marketing stack.
Is social listening worth it?
Social listening provides real-world insights that can shape your product and marketing strategies. The examples in this article demonstrate how companies use social data to prevent crises, identify opportunities, and better understand customer needs. For most brands, social listening helps improve customer satisfaction, inform product development, and design more effective marketing campaigns.
Stay connected with your customers through social listening
Social listening creates a tangible business impact. And our social media listening examples provide it.
McDonald's used it to respond to pricing backlash. Stanley used a viral moment to its advantage. Duolingo embraced years of memes with their "Duo's death" campaign.
These brands listened and then took action—spotting problems, finding content ideas, and joining important customer conversations.
Want results like these examples?
Talkwalker's social listening platform lets you monitor conversations relevant to your brand and turn them into business advantages. Get a free demo now to see it in action!
