French-based Publicis Groupe announced plans to acquire Influential, the world’s largest influencer marketing agency by revenue.

The deal, expected to close in August, aims to bolster Publicis’ influencer marketing capabilities in response to increasing client demand.

Influential, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Las Vegas, generated an estimated $150 million in revenue in 2023, up from $100 million in 2022. 

The agency works with 300 brands globally, including prominent names such as McDonald’s, Meta, Amazon, and Walt Disney Company.

Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun cites the acceleration in clients’ need for expertise and scale in influencer marketing as a key driver behind the acquisition. 

“With the new creator economy set to exceed linear TV on ad spend in the next year, we can embrace its outsized influence fully and put it at the service of all of our clients, thanks to Influential,” Sadoun states.

The acquisition brings two key assets to Publicis: Influential’s network of over 3.5 million creators and its AI-powered data platform. This platform leverages over 100 billion data points to match clients with optimal influencer partners and inform campaign strategies.

Publicis plans to integrate Influential’s capabilities across its agency network, positioning it “at the center” to work with growth, client, and media teams. 

This integration provides all Publicis clients access to Influential’s expertise while allowing the agency to maintain its current leadership and client roster.

Influential CEO Ryan Detert highlights the potential synergies between Influential’s data and Publicis-owned Epsilon’s consumer database. 

He suggests this combination could “define the next era of influencer marketing” by enabling more targeted communication across social, digital, and out-of-home channels.

The acquisition aligns with Publicis’ strategy to build a “new media ecosystem,” with influencer marketing joining connected TV and commerce as crucial components. Sadoun frames this as part of Publicis’ vision to lead in “personalization at scale.”

This move is part of a broader trend of holding companies investing in influencer marketing capabilities. 

In 2023, WPP acquired the Goat Agency, and Obviously, Stagwell purchased Movers+Shakers. Most recently, Stagwell announced its acquisition of Israeli influencer marketing and social commerce agency Leaders.

Holding companies “don’t want to lose this business to smaller agencies,” one influencer marketing executive told Ad Age.

“The traditional agencies, for a long time, pooh-poohed creator marketing,” the anonymous executive continued. “And now it’s interesting because, with the decline of TV and the rise of YouTube, [influencer marketing] is their big moneymaker.”