Why is it that social-media listening, widely acknowledged to hold great value for marketers, is still not completely embraced by market researchers? Jack Neff writes compellingly on the subject in Advertising Age (ARF: Consumer Opinions Online Still Seen as Curse, Not Gift, 1/11/10).

You can and should read the whole article, but here’s the crux, worth repeating:

“Listening is scary. … It’s a big change from our traditional way of thinking. So, the single biggest opportunity in the history of consumer marketing lays dormant. The singular opportunity to tap into the brain of today’s newly empowered consumer in such a natural way that what we hear is the purest ‘research’ ever is buried in nay-saying.”

In as much as that’s true, it signals a tremendous missed opportunity. Though it’s important to note that many ad agencies and large brands DO get it. They understand that listening can fuel insights that drive better campaigns, ad buys, and ultimately, business. Our client list features many forward-thinking, major brands and agencies, and it’s growing.

But Neff is right, generally, about the foot dragging. And here’s one explanation, beyond “new is scary.” It’s the confusion between the benefits of monitoring and listening.

Monitoring is best at finding threats. Listening is best at identifying opportunities. Many times, these terms are confused or used interchangeably.

Even Neff’s piece, which starts off talking about “listening,” devotes much of the space to discussing the value of tracking threats (e.g., Johnson & Johnson Motrin-gate).

It’s understandable that marketers might be resentful about the need to monitor threats via social media. After all, brands used to own their reputations to a much greater degree before social media came along and handed the keys to the consumers. It hardly seems like a gift if it means one more new front to defend on. Previously, the only way into a brand’s castle was via a phone-based market-research report.

Monitoring will become increasingly routinized, straightforward, and inexpensive or free. The future of listening holds limitless possibility.

As ad agencies and brands increasingly understand the real advantage of listening—letting consumers’ opinions and ideas provide the fuel for insights—the value becomes clear. Consumers now provide a speedier, comparatively inexpensive source of market research and innovation. And that’s a far different perspective than watching consumer activity like a dark cloud on the horizon.