Social influence is growing in advertising as well as the entertainment industry. Executives are utilizing social media networks like Twitter and Facebook as gauges for getting instant consumer feedback.

In the past, researching ideas with focus groups was a long drawn-out, expensive process to garner consumer opinion. Now, thanks to social, it is out there for the whole world to see. Companies that are listening and monitoring these networks have been able to reshape their ad campaigns and television shows based on consumer feedback.

The Wall Street Journal recently wrote “When Twitter Fans Steer TV” and “Tweets Spawn Ad Campaigns” discussing the impact and influence consumer feedback has had in entertainment as well as advertising. The latest Samsung commercial pokes fun at the iPhone 5. The brand added some commentary regarding the need for an adapter in the commercial based on frustrated consumer feedback that it monitored online.

Lost was one of the first social shows driven by its community of fans. Writers were careful to continue in their creative process on their own, but incorporated some answers to viewers’ top questions.

“Comments posted on Twitter and other social-media websites about television shows have exploded in the past year, to 75.5 million in July from 8.8 million a year earlier, far faster than overall growth in such comments, according to research firm Bluefin Labs.” – WSJ Online

BlueFin Labs started tracking social brands earlier this year and now includes it in its list of the most social commercials and brands on TV. Networks are also tracking social buzz for new shows as a way measure viewer passion in addition to traditional ratings.

Feedback is carefully considered as a small number of people are typically responsible for creating a large number of comments. However, executives at these types of companies that are listening to social media chatter are finding that they strike a chord with their audience and are making a better connection.

Image via Content Marketing Institute