Publicis Groupe acquires influencer agency Captiv8

Publicis Groupe has bought independent influencer marketing platform Captiv8 in its entirety for an undisclosed sum.

The French holding company plans to combine Captiv8 with Epsilon and Influential to create an influencer operation “of unmatched scale and reach”. Both will sit within Publicis Groupe’s Connected Media revenue line, which represents 60% of group revenue and also houses Publicis Media.

Captiv8 has a network of some 15 million creators from across the globe and says it covers 95% of all influencers with 5000 or more followers. It uses AI automation, social listening tech and branded storefronts to connect consumers with influencers, commerce and affiliate channels using a single platform. It operates in 120 countries.

The US-based company was independently owned, founded in 2014 by Krishna Subramanian, who continues as chief executive and will work alongside Influential chief executive Ryan Detert. Campaign understands that Captiv8 employs about 200 people all of whom will transfer to Publicis.

Publicis Groupe said the merged entity would form the world’s largest and most potent creator network, powered by Epsilon’s CoreID to enable brands to “unify, deploy and control their creator strategies and activations across social platforms, media channels, and markets”. A spokesperson for Publicis said the Captiv8 name would be retained.

The combined business will also aggregate identity, influencer and transaction data within Captiv8’s platform, which will allow Publicis to give clients “transparent, real-time, full-funnel measurement of the business impact of creator marketing across platforms and media channels”.

The ad group has been building its influencer capabilities, announcing the acquisition of Latin American influencer marketing and content agency BR Media Group in February.

Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe’s global chief executive, said the deal reinforced Publicis’ “‘Category of One’, building the world’s most powerful influencer platform by connecting the scale and service of Influential with Captiv8’s unrivalled technology, grounded in Epsilon’s connected identity”.

He continued: “This platform is a one-stop shop for our clients’ influencer marketing initiatives. They can uniquely unite, plan and optimise creator strategies that are brand fit, brand safe, with fully transparent measurement. With what is now the largest influencer community, underpinned by the most advanced tech platform, we can ignite earned-first programmes on behalf of brands, to supercharge campaigns with authentic virality and connect directly to commerce.

“As we continue to invest in the products and services that drive true differentiation for our clients and ourselves, I’m thrilled to welcome Krishna and the Captiv8 teams to the Publicis family.”