More and more companies have been interested in using social media for exploratory marketing research, rather than traditional focus group/interviews/surveys. Some marketing researchers have gone as far as saying that social media can become a complete replacement of traditional marketing research tools. For example, Bryce Maddock of SmarterSocialMedia.com said in a recent interview that traditional market research is a thing of the past.

Give one specific, concrete, real lifebusiness example where using social media as a research tool is better than focus group/interviews/surveys, and another example where focus group/interviews/surveys are better.