French multinational advertising and PR company Publicis Group has acquired ‘Influential’ – the world’s largest influencer company and platform. It authentically connects brands to audiences through creator-driven digital campaigns.
Influential is a proprietary AI-powered technology platform. Its network is made up of over 3.5 million creators, including access to and data on 90 percent of global influencers with 1M+ followers. Influential currently serves more than 300 brands around the world.
Following the acquisition, Influential will be positioned centrally within Publicis Groupe. Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential, expressed a thrill to join the world’s highest-performing and most innovative holding company – Publicis Groupe. “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.”
Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe CEO, welcomed Influential to the Publicis family. “Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100 billion data points, unrivaled network of over 3 million creators and access, and data on 90 percent of influencers with 1M+ followers, Influential is above all an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector,” he said. “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 our clients.
The acquisition uniquely positions Publicis Groupe at the center of the new media ecosystem. Sadoun said it will enable their clients to know and understand their customers and prospects and engage with them on a one-to-one basis online as well as offline. “It’s how we are putting power back into the hands of brands in a fragmented media landscape, and driving marketing transformation that delivers real business outcomes.”
