May, 2026.- Every social media professional is collectively sighing right now. Jayelle Dorsainville knows this because she is one of them—and she has spent her career fighting the misconception that social is merely an execution channel rather than a strategic listening function.
Dorsainville, now SVP, Head of Social Strategy & Influence at Burrell Communications, joins the first Black-owned agency network after years within WPP and IPG. The shift has changed the stakes. At BCG, she explains, the agency is a challenger despite the depth of experience and legacy of the organizations in its network. In the pitch room, the team is not just presenting the work—they are the ones who will see it through. There is no distance between the idea and the execution. That changes how much it means.
What Dorsainville sees as the biggest tell that a brand is being opportunistic rather than authentic is simple: inserting itself into a cultural moment without understanding what actually matters to the community driving it. Trend-jacking is a big part of most content strategies, she admits. But the difference comes down to whether a brand can answer key questions before jumping in. What does the brand’s community actually find galvanizing about this moment? If that step is skipped, the work ends up feeling like noise. Online communities are savvy. They appreciate an authentic point of view in their language, but they see no value in copy-and-paste content that adds nothing to the story.
In this interview, Dorsainville discusses how her team moves from a cultural trigger to a published brand response without feeling rushed—through preparation, not scrambling. Using their Trend Theory signal tool, they track signals across social, platform trends, and community conversations. Speed alone is not the strategy. Posting fast just to avoid being left out is participation, not marketing. And if they have missed the moment, they do not chase it.
She also explains when a creator is genuinely the right voice for a brand’s cultural moment versus when the brand is simply outsourcing its own lack of cultural confidence. The difference lies in whether the brand has built any real relationship with the community before relying on a creator as a mouthpiece.
This is a conversation about earning relevance, not assuming it. About being present in the comments, responding to feedback, and making things right in real time. About accountability, consistency, and the difference between having a point of view and having a reaction.
1. Authentic vs. Opportunistic: You said brands often show up as either “authentic or opportunistic.” What’s the single biggest tell that a brand is being opportunistic rather than authentic in a cultural moment?
The biggest tell that a brand is being opportunistic is when it inserts itself into a cultural moment without understanding what actually matters to the community driving it.
Trend-jacking is a big part of most content strategies. I’ve helped clients enter cultural conversations, and I’m sure I will continue to, but the difference comes down to whether a brand can answer a few key questions before jumping in.
What does the brand’s community actually find galvanizing about this moment? What are they focused on, and why?
If that step is skipped, the work usually ends up feeling like noise.
Add to the moment rather than just tossing something into the pile that has no real value. Having a point of view beats having a reaction.
Online communities are savvy. They appreciate an authentic point of view in their language, but they don’t see value in copy-and-paste content that adds nothing to the story.
2. The Frontline Advantage: You noted that social and influence is “on the frontline, interacting with the very people brands hope to reach.” Why do so many agencies still treat social as an execution channel rather than a strategic listening function?
Every social media professional is collectively sighing right now.
As someone who truly understands the value of social and influencer marketing, I’ve never really bought into that belief because it’s never been true. Social has always been both execution and insight, but it’s often treated as just the former.
I think it comes down to a few things.
Some teams are still struggling to clearly prove the value of social in a way that resonates with broader business goals. Some are holding onto traditional production models and the budgets that come with them. And some are choosing to remain comfortable with a one-way communication style of marketing.
But that’s not where we are, and it hasn’t been like this for a long time.
People want to see the work, but they also want to respond to it. They want to add their thoughts, celebrate, critique, and build community around moments that invite them in. Social is where that happens in real time.
Treating it as just an execution channel creates distance from the very signals brands need to understand their audience.
The irony is that we have access to real-time feedback at scale. The real challenge is knowing what to do with it. It’s much easier to ignore it or structure teams in a way where you don’t have to engage with it directly.
3. From Ogilvy to BCG Worldwide: You’re joining the first Black-owned agency network. How does that ownership structure change the way you approach social strategy compared to your previous roles in majority-owned networks?
What has changed are the stakes.
I’ve worked within WPP and IPG, both highly respected and incredible spaces for creativity. Those networks often win based on longstanding relationships, past work with major brands, and deep platform ties. At BCG, we’re a challenger despite the depth of experience across the team and the legacy of the orgs in our network.
We want to win so we can represent the people who move culture, and do it with respect.
The stakes feel higher because in the pitch room, we’re not just presenting the work—we’re the ones who will see it through. There’s no distance between the idea and the execution. I’m closer to the work in the best way, and that changes how much it means.
4. Real-Time Cultural Moments: Brands want to show up “in real-time cultural moments.” What’s your fastest internal process for moving from a cultural trigger to a published brand response without feeling rushed or reactive?
We don’t feel rushed because we’re rarely reacting; we’re usually already positioned.
Speed and confidence come from preparation, not scrambling. Through our Trend Theory signal tool, we’re constantly tracking signals across social, platform trends, and community conversations, so by the time a cultural moment hits, we already have a read on what it is, which communities are driving it, where it’s going, and how long the window is.
That’s what allows us to move quickly without feeling reactive.
But speed alone isn’t the strategy. Posting fast just to not get left out is participation, not marketing. If the only reason we’d show up is because everyone else is, that’s usually a signal to pause.
Before we move on anything, we pressure-test it. Is this actually relevant to the brand’s product, principles, or community, or are we force-fitting it?
From there, the process is straightforward. We identify the signal, interpret what it means for the brand and for the communities and audiences they serve, and execute against a playbook that’s already been thought through. When everything is aligned, we can move from signal to published content within hours.
And if we’ve missed the moment, we don’t chase it. We either sit it out or show up with self-awareness.
5. Creator-Led Engagement: You’ll lead creator partnerships. When is a creator genuinely the right voice for a brand’s cultural moment, and when is the brand simply outsourcing its own lack of cultural confidence?
I believe creator partnerships are essential to any holistic marketing strategy.
A creator is the right voice when they already have credibility within the community a brand is trying to reach and when the partnership feels like a natural extension of how they already show up. They understand their audience, their hooks, their angles, and what will actually resonate.
It starts to feel like outsourcing a lack of cultural confidence when a brand hasn’t built any real relationship with a community and suddenly relies on a creator or celebrity as a mouthpiece to create that bridge.
And it’s nuanced because I do believe brands can work with creators to reach new communities, but it has to be accompanied by real action, respect, and some level of commitment to that community. The depth matters.
It’s even more effective when the creator is treated as a true partner in the comms, creative, and strategy. Work with them to build something that will actually resonate, not just something that checks a box.
6. Earning Relevance: You said brands “earn” relevance, they don’t just show up. What’s the most under-invested activity that actually earns a brand the right to speak in a cultural conversation?
Ongoing, visible engagement with your audience is one of the most underinvested ways a brand actually earns relevance.
Action matters. Walk it like you talk it. But it’s not just one moment; it’s how consistently you show up, especially in the spaces where your audience is talking back.
That means being present in the comments, responding to feedback, addressing concerns, and trying to make things right in real time. That level of visibility and accountability builds trust over time.
It also requires being intentional about what you align with and what you stand for, making sure it reflects the values of your audience.
It’s no longer enough to just post and move on. People want to be acknowledged. They want to be part of the conversation.
It’s also important to make great products and experiences and hold yourself to a high standard, but without that ongoing engagement, it’s hard to truly earn your place in a cultural moment.
