7 Social Listening Examples From Inspiring Brands [2025]

Social listening is like having the Marauder’s Map in Hogwarts. You always know who’s talking about you, what they’re saying, and – essentially – what their tone is. But just like the Map, knowing is only half the magic. To truly benefit, you must act on what you “hear”: identify gold opportunities, address negative feedback before it escalates, learn from your competitors, and so on. Let these real-life social listening examples show you how turning insight into action can create serious brand magic.

Social listening examples are priceless sources of inspiration. They showcase how brands pay attention to online conversations and transform real-time feedback into smart, strategic actions.

Ready to learn from the best? Great!

So, let’s dive into examples of brands that listen to social conversations – and act. Wisely.

7 Awesome Social Listening Examples

01 Ryanair – turning negative customer feedback into viral

Ryanair is the budget airline known for its bold, funny, and sometimes even rude responses on social media channels.

Their approach is: we’re cheap, we know it, and we’re not pretending to be anything else. 

And the brand has turned this brutal honesty into a winning online personality!

Ryanair has mastered one of the core social listening strategies: spotting customer feedback and engaging with it.

In practice, Ryanair closely monitors what people say about the brand online – the good, the bad, and especially the ugly – and jumps right into the conversation. 

But instead of boring, corporate-styled replies, they react with sarcasm, memes, and often ridiculous videos.

For example, in November 2023, a customer complained about paying €12 for a seat. Ryanair’s response?

Cheeky and absolutely hilarious!

That single tweet alone has skyrocketed Ryanair’s brand visibility.

According to Brand24 – one of the top social listening tools – it triggered over 2,000 mentions that reached nearly 17 million people!

Globally, Ryanair’s tone of voice is one of the things that sets it apart from 99% of brands.

While most brands try to smooth over complaints, Ryanair turns criticism into viral moments.

It’s no surprise that Brand24’s AI Topic Analysis revealed that Ryanair’s humorous social media engagement accounts for around 8% of the brand’s total share of voice.

A clear sign that when social listening is paired with a brave tone of voice, it doesn’t just boost online conversations – it drives results.

Key takeaways:

✅ Social listening lets brands detect and respond to trending complaints fast

✅ Ryanair proves that the tone of voice can be a strong brand asset

✅ Turning criticism into humor can fuel virality and boost visibility

02 Stanley – power up the brand reputation with real-time social listening

In November 2023, one of TikTok’s users posted a video showing the aftermath of her car after the fire. 

What was special (except the car fire, which is kind of special itself) was that her Stanley tumbler remained nearly untouched, and – the clue of that story – it still contained ice inside!

The video of this incident became viral, generating over 30 million views on TikTok.

In response to that event, Stanley’s CEO published a video offering to buy the woman a new car.

The audience loved this gesture!

Stanley’s quick and generous reaction felt real and human – not like a cold PR move.

As a result, the brand received tons of positive mentions online. People praised Stanley for going beyond expectations and showing genuine care.

According to Brand24’s AI Emotions Analysis (a feature that deepens the standard sentiment analysis), nearly 84% of reactions to that event were admiration and joy.

That’s an amazing example of how listening to social media conversations can quickly boost brand reputation and win people’s hearts.

Key takeaways:

✅ Social media listening tools can help to identify emotionally charged, high-potential moments

✅ Tracking viral mentions allows brands to act before the news cycle disappears

✅ Authentic responses to community stories build deep brand trust

03 GoPro – the power of user-generated content and hashtag campaigns

GoPro, the action camera brand, has mastered another powerful aspect of social listening efforts: leveraging user-generated content (UGC) to build a sense of community and brand advocacy.

I need to clarify one thing here: GoPro doesn’t just sell cameras. It sells devices that enable people to share epic, real-life stories.

Moreover, the brand encourages customers to share their amazing shots and showcase the best ones on social media. 

In practice, GoPro invites its target audience to participate in brand challenges, such as #GoPro Snow Challenge, Million Dollar Challenge, and much more.

As for social listening, GoPro monitors social media platforms for mentions, hashtags, and tagged content featuring their cameras – whether users explicitly tag the brand or not. 

By actively tracking branded hashtags like #GoPro and #GoProHero, together with more generic phrases like “action camera footage”, they identify high-quality user-generated content that aligns with their brand’s adventurous spirit.

Brand24’s social listening data proves that this marketing strategy delivers real results. 

In April 2025 alone, GoPro was mentioned in over 70,000 user-generated posts and comments. That’s nearly 95% of all brand mentions that month!

A conclusion? Almost all the online buzz around GoPro comes directly from its community. And GoPro’s customers are the most powerful brand advocates.

Key takeaways:

✅ Social listening reveals which type of user-generated content resonates most with your audience

✅ Hashtag analysis uncovers brand advocates you didn’t know you had

✅ Rewarding fans’ creativity turns customers into long-term storytellers

04 McDonald’s – on the wave of viral

I bet there’s no need to introduce you to this brand. Even if I’m not a fan of fast food, I must admit that McDonald’s marketing is world-class.

Many real-life case studies support this claim. As we discuss social listening examples, let me focus on one – the Grimas Shake trend.

In June 2023, McDonald’s launched a limited-edition purple “Grimace Shake” to celebrate the birthday of its classic mascot, Grimace.

What started as a nostalgic product release quickly became a viral TikTok trend.

TikTokers began creating videos in which they drank the Grimace Shake and then cut to scenes of themselves unconscious or in absurd crime scene poses. 

The meme exploded, generating millions of views and making the shake infamous.

In fact, only in June 2023 did the Grimace-related mentions reach over 1.3 billion people!

Honestly, the trend was quite controversial.

Crossing the line between humor and bad taste was very probable. There was a high risk of negative sentiment. 

But rather than distancing itself from the trend, McDonald’s monitored its virality and chose to embrace it, but moderately.

They engaged with memes on TikTok and X (Twitter) with a sense of humor and in-character messaging from Grimace himself. This kept the viral alive while keeping the tone aligned with fan humor.

Obviously, McDonald’s marketing team knows what social media listening is all about.

Key takeaways:

✅ Real-time social listening helps brands decide when to ride or avoid a trend

✅ Sentiment analysis allows to discover if brand engagement with controversial content is safe for its reputation

✅ Staying in-character online builds brand consistency and audience connection

05 Chipotle – leveraging influencer marketing & community listening

Chipotle, a fast food brand popular in the US, definitely understands three essential things: their audience, social media platforms, and the power of timing.

A great example? The viral fajita quesadilla trend.

In 2022, popular TikToker Alexis Frost shared her custom order tip: a steak quesadilla with fajita veggies and Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette.

The video went viral. 

Then, influencer Keith Lee tried it, loved it, and added his own twist – vinaigrette mixed with sour cream.

His video took the trend to the next level.

Chipotle noticed the buzz and acted fast.

In March 2023, they officially added the “Fajita Quesadilla” to their digital menu – naming and crediting both creators.

It was available exclusively through the Chipotle app, making it a win for both the brand and its digital sales.

This is a perfect example of monitoring the audience, recognizing high-reach profiles’ creativity, and using these social listening insights to reward them. 

It’s influencer marketing powered by community, and made possible by social listening tools.

And it really works!

Just take a look at Chipotle’s Presence Score.

Key takeaways:

✅ Social listening identifies high-reach creators driving product trends

✅ Monitoring fan hacks can inspire official product updates

✅ Fast response to community content strengthens digital sales channels

06 HypeAuditor – using competitive analysis to discover PR opportunities

HypeAuditor is a platform designed to analyze and manage influencer marketing campaigns. It provides valuable insights into brand-influencer fit, audience demographics, engagement rate, etc.

As a brand, HypeAuditor doesn’t exist in a vacuum and must differentiate itself from its market competitors.

And here, social listening enters the stage.

The whole process looks like the following. 

HypeAudit constantly listens to relevant conversations happening across social media, blogs, news outlets, and forums.

It focuses not only on mentions of its own brand but also on those of direct competitors and key industry players.

This way, HypeAuditor can identify interesting media outlets and journalists mentioning its competitors, reach out to them, and ask to be included in future stories, offer expert commentary, or suggest alternative data angles based on HypeAuditor’s insights.

By doing so, the brand turns competitor media coverage into PR opportunities for itself, positioning HypeAuditor as a trusted source in influencer marketing analytics. 

It’s a proactive way to increase brand visibility, build relationships with journalists, and stay top-of-mind in industry conversations. 

In other words, social listening becomes not just a monitoring tool, but a strategic growth tool.

Further read: HypeAuditor full case study

Takeaways:

✅ Social media monitoring tools like Brand24 enable proactive monitoring of competitor press

✅ Identifying media patterns reveals hidden PR opportunities

✅ Insights from competitor mentions help shape better outreach strategies

07 Samsung – monitoring a competitor to boost a positive brand sentiment

In May 2024, Apple released a promotional video titled “Crush” to promote its new iPad Pro. 

The ad showed a hydraulic press crushing various creative tools – such as guitars, paint cans, and sculptures – symbolizing how the new iPad Pro connects all these things. 

The ad faced significant criticism from the creative community, who perceived it as a metaphor for technology destroying or oppressing human creativity. 

And here, Samsung enters the stage.

The brand decided to respond with its own ad titled “UnCrush”. The video was a continuation of Apple’s ad.

At the beginning, we can see the aftermath of the crushed creative tools and the musician walking around.

Later, she picks up a damaged guitar and begins to play, using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 to read sheet music. 

The ad concludes with the message: “Creativity cannot be crushed.” 

Samsung’s fast and well-thought-out response not only addressed the concerns raised by Apple’s ad but also positioned its Galaxy Tab S9 as a tool that supports creativity. 

As a result, the “UnCrush” related mentions enjoyed over 80% of positive sentiment.

This outstanding move shows how brands can leverage social listening to walk into industry trends, engage in timely into meaningful conversations, and turn competitor mistakes into opportunities for positive brand awareness.

Key takeaways:

✅ Monitoring competitor mistakes lets you respond with relevance and speed

✅ Real-time media monitoring helps align campaign tone with public sentiment

✅ Jumping into cultural conversations with purpose enhances brand perception and reputation

Conclusion

Social listening isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a real strategy that drives results. 

As these seven social listening examples show, the brands that listen closely are the ones that lead conversations. 

Smart monitoring opens many doors, whether it’s spotting a viral trend, engaging in a controversy with the right tone, or turning customer feedback into a product. 

And there are so many more social listening techniques you can use!

So, what are you waiting for?

Final thoughts:

• Social listening is not about data but turning them into actionable insights.
• Social listening tools like Brand24 give brands endless opportunities to apply insights timely and accurately.
• Real-time social listening allows for identifying patterns, trends, and virals. That’s utterly important in today’s fast-moving news cycle.
• Humor, empathy, and creativity matter just as much as timing.
• Listening to competitors is just as important as listening to your own mentions.
• Sometimes, one viral comment is all it takes to shape your next campaign.

Start a Brand24 14-day free trial and see for yourself how social listening will help your brand grow!