Publicis snaps up Influential, world’s most valuable influencer agency

Influential operates a proprietary AI-driven platform powered by over 100 billion data points. The company has a vast network of more than 3.5 million creators, encompassing 90% of global influencers with over one million followers. Among Influential’s roster of 300 clients are industry titans like Google, AB InBev, Amazon, McDonald’s and General Mills.

“Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100bn data points, unrivaled network of over 3 million creators and access and data on 90% of influencers with 1 million-plus followers, Influential is, above all, an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector,” said Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun. “With the new creator economy set to exceed linear tv on ad spend in the next year, thanks to Influential we are able to fully embrace its outsized influence and put it at the service of all of our clients.”

It’s a timely move for Publicis as the market for creators and influencers expands. In 2023, the creator economy was estimated to be worth $66.2bn – a number projected to hit $74bn this year, per data from Citigroup published in March. Meanwhile, ad spend on social media is expected to outpace broadcast and cable TV ad spend by next year.

Influential will be folded directly into the Publicis Groupe business and will be integrated with Publicis’s Epsilon data assets, which the company hopes will “enable brands to identify creators that meaningfully connect to their target customers and communities while providing the unique ability to holistically plan, manage and measure investment across social, digital, and affiliate marketing.”

Through the combination of Epsilon’s martech stack with Influential’s creator relationships and data insights, Publicis clients will have access to new resources, including an exclusive creator network that offers brand direct access to millions of diverse creators and their audiences. Consumer insights delivered through Epsilon will also help brands identify the right creators for their message.

Additionally, the new integration will give clients access to an AI-powered platform that monitors and boosts the reach and effectiveness of social campaigns across multiple digital and affiliate channels.

Influential CEO Ryan Detert expressed his enthusiasm about the acquisition, saying: “I am thrilled for Influential to join Publicis Groupe – the world’s highest performing and most innovative holding company. We look forward to combining our complementary capabilities and technology to deliver unparalleled influencer identification, content creation, amplification and measurement for our clients – and to defining the next era of influencer marketing together.”

The buyout adds fuel to Publicis’s fire during a particularly strong period. Since the start of the year, the holding company has won a number of major accounts, including the media businesses for Spotify, Lego and, most recently, Hershey. Earlier this year, it snapped up a larger portion of Pfizer’s business, which it was previously sharing with IPG.

Last week, the company posted strong Q2 financial results, reporting a 5.6% year-over-year lift in net organic revenue. In light of this momentum, Publicis amended its full-year growth forecast from 4-5% up to 5-6%.

And as the market for creator- and influencer-led brand content gains steam, Publicis’s acquisition of Influential gives it a leg up on the competition.

The acquisition is slated to close late next month, pending regulatory approval. Terms of the deal have not been specified.

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