Paris: Publicis Groupe has definitively agreed to acquire Influential, an influencer marketing company connecting brands to audiences through creator-driven digital campaigns.
The influencer marketing company, Influential, uses an AI platform with 100 billion data points. It connects with 3.5M creators and 90% of global influencers with 1M+ followers, catering to over 300 brands globally.
Influencer marketing is reshaping the media and advertising industry, driving brand growth by authentically engaging with customers. Social media spend is projected to surpass TV ad spend in 2025, with influencer marketing leading this growth surge.
Influential helps brands source creators, strategize creatively, and optimize media for real-world results.
Now, by combining those capabilities with the unique data and identity assets of Epsilon, and scale of Publicis Groupe, we will put the leadership of ID-driven influencer marketing in the hands of all our clients through:
• a Premium Creator Network: A marketplace where top brands connect directly with diverse creators and audiences in a brand-safe environment.
• Revolutionized Influencer Planning: Leveraging Epsilon’s consumer insights to identify creators who connect brands with their target audience across the internet.
• Maximized Cross-Channel Outcomes: Unifying, extending, and measuring the reach and impact of social campaigns to digital and affiliate channels in a singular, AI-powered platform with connected creative and sequential messaging that enhances customer experience and drives better business outcomes
Led by Founder and CEO Ryan Detert, Influential will be positioned centrally within Publicis Groupe, empowering all Publicis clients and teams with leading technology, expertise, and delivery of influencer marketing services.
Ryan Detert, Influential CEO said, “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.”
Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe CEO, said, “It is a great pleasure to be welcoming Influential to the Publicis family. Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100 billion data points, unrivalled network of over 3 million creators and access and data on 90% of influencers with 1M+ followers, Influential is above all an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector. With the new creator economy set to exceed linear tv on adspend 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.
Not only does this acquisition mean we will take the leadership of Influencer marketing. It also uniquely positions us at the centre of the new media ecosystem. By combining our Epsilon data, which allow us to see 2.3 billion people around the world, with Connected TV, Commerce, and now Creators, we can enable our clients to truly know and understand their customers and prospects, and engage with them on a one-to-one basis, wherever they are, both online and 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.”
