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French advertising giant Publicis Groupe has announced its plans to acquire Influential, one of the largest influencer agencies, in a $500 million deal. This acquisition aims to enhance Publicis' ability to connect brands with their target audiences through strategic influencer campaigns. Las Vegas-based Influential was co-founded in 2013 by Ryan Detert, who will continue as Influential's CEO at Publicis.

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. Influential’s roster of 300 clients includes Google, AB InBev, Amazon, McDonald’s, and General Mills.

Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, said, “Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100 billion data points, unrivaled network of over 3 million creators, and access to 90% of influencers with over one million followers, Influential is, above all, an outstanding team of talent at the cutting edge of their sector.”

Sadoun further added, “With the new creator economy set to exceed linear TV in ad spend 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.”

According to a report from Citigroup, the creator economy was estimated to be worth $66.2 billion in 2023, a number projected to hit $74 billion this year. Meanwhile, ad spend on social media is expected to outpace broadcast and cable TV ad spend by next year.

According to the company’s financial reports, Influential generated an estimated $150 million in revenue last year, up from $100 million in 2022. In recent years, it has devised influencer-marketing campaigns for advertisers including Hilton, Walt Disney Co.’s Hulu, and McDonald’s.

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.”

Publicis Groupe to acquire Influential for $500 million

Publicis Groupe has launched a Creative Council for South Asia. This Council will channelise capabilities across creative, data, media, and technology to create progressive, modern, purposeful work for the network.

Rajdeepak Das, CEO and CCO of Leo Burnett South Asia, in addition to his current role will be the Chairman of this Creative Council, South Asia. Das will lead the overall creative direction, product, and thinking for the Groupe. 

Commenting on the development, Anupriya Acharya, South Asia CEO, Publicis Groupe said, “At Publicis Groupe, we have a tremendous roster of brands, scaled capabilities across design, experience, data and technology, the finest talent pool and the Power of One. There is no better time than now to bring all these together and partner our clients in building truly Epic Work and Epic Brands. Rajdeepak who apart from being a dynamic and gifted Creative Leader, has been the force behind many famous, iconic campaigns for leading brands and has pivoted Leo Burnett India to top position among creative agencies in the country today;  he was but a natural choice for this role.”

Das added, “It’s an honour to lead The Creative Council for Publicis Groupe South Asia. The Council will use the power of brand purpose and new-age creativity to bring positive impact to people’s lives. The Council will help pedigreed brands to collaborate closely with the world-class talent of the Groupe. I can’t wait to get started and look forward to leading a power-packed Council that is going to create next-generation solutions.”
 
Das has led some of the most interesting creative projects and brand campaigns in India, from saving India’s biggest national treasure, the INS Vikrant warship with the help of Bajaj,  to being part of  ‘Roads That Honk’, the world’s first anti-collusion road management system for Hindustan Petroleum, to creating India’s first micro-financing system. More recently, Das’s work for Whisper ‘Keep Girls In School’ won Leo Burnett India & P&G a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Sustainable Development Goals. The agency also won the title of ‘Creative Agency Of The Year’ at The One Show Abby Awards, Goafest ’22. 

Das has more than 100 international awards to his name such as The One Show, D&AD and Spikes. He was the only creative head featured in the popular Netflix series ‘The Creative Indians Season 4.’

In his words, Das’s biggest creation till date is Apollo 11, a specialised division of Leo Burnett India or what he refers to as ‘The Mutant Creatives.’ This is a team of hugely talented young people in their 20’s with backgrounds such as aerospace engineers, product designers, data analytics and environmental scientists, who solve brand and human problems with him. His focus is on new-age brand solutions, and he believes “Only way to predict the future is to build it yourself.”




Rajdeepak Das to spearhead Publicis Groupe's new Creative Council for South Asia

In conversation with Publicis Groupe's Anupriya Acharya

Full-service communications agency, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, which is a part of the Publicis Groupe, has bagged the creative mandate of the recently launched low-cost airline, Akasa Air. 

The account will be managed by the agency’s Mumbai office. L&K Saatchi & Saatchi will work on strategic and creative initiatives for the airline. This would include developing brand and tactical communication for above-the-line and below-the-line campaigns. The agency will also look into developing brand communication pieces, and creatives for the launch and sustenance phases. They will involve in designing brand identity applications across mediums too.

Belson Coutinho, co-founder and chief marketing and experience officer, Akasa Air, said, “We are on a journey to build India’s most dependable and affordable airline that delivers warm, reliable and efficient service. Hence it is inevitable to have our communication strategy that complements both the brand promise and our actual delivery on ground.”

Commenting on the development, Paritosh Srivastava, chief executive officer, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, further added, “Aviation is a tough business, and everyone involved has to bring their best game to the table. We will try everything in our power to contribute to Akasa’s success in the time to come. We believe we are not an agency for Akasa; we feel a sense of ownership, and treat this as our own business.” 


L&K Saatchi & Saatchi flies away with Akasa Air's creative biz

PUBLICIS GROUPE