Jayde I. Powell and Industry Execs Discuss How Consumers Are Discovering Brands on Social Media

New York City, NY — At this year’s Creator Marketing Summit, hosted by Hashtag Paid, industry leaders came together to explore how social platforms continue to redefine the path to brand discovery. One of the sessions shaping the conversation, "How Consumers Discover Brands in the Age of Social,” was moderated by Jayde I. Powell, Founder and Head of Creative at The Em Dash Co. 

In an era where algorithms, AI, and creators are reshaping how people connect with brands, Jayde brought more than 12 years of social media expertise to facilitate a forward-thinking conversation between executives from some of the world’s most influential companies. The panel included Eric Lucari, Global Digital Commerce Sales Director at Mars Snacking; Sally Phelps, Associate Director of Influencer & Celebrity at Free People; and Vimla Gupta, EVP H2/H3 Innovation Enterprise Oral Care at Colgate-Palmolive. 

Together, the group unpacked the evolving ways consumers find, trust, and engage with brands—discussing how creators drive product awareness, the role of authenticity in building trust, and how large language models (LLMs) are reshaping discovery.

Reflecting on the discussion, Jayde shared:

“Consumers don’t just scroll for entertainment anymore—they scroll for solutions, inspiration, and connection. Social media has become the modern-day search engine, where people are actively discovering products that fit into their lives through the creators and communities they trust.”

The session underscored a key takeaway: the future of discovery belongs to brands that understand culture—and creators are at the center of that exchange.

To know where you can catch Jayde next, be sure to subscribe to her newsletter, and follow her LinkedIn.