Agency giant Publicis has acquired Captiv8, which it describes as “the world’s most advanced end-to-end influencer marketing platform”.
With its AI-powered tech and social commerce suite, Captiv8 enables brands to unify, manage and measure their influencer strategies, and leverage creators to drive commerce at scale. According to Publicis, Captiv8 has a network of 15m creators, covering 95% of influencers with +5000 followers.
Captiv8 is active in 120 countries and processes 2.5bn social posts every year. Once the deal is done, it will work alongside Influential, an influencer marketing business Publicis acquired last year, and ad tech division Epsilon.
Combined, Publicis says it will control the world’s largest creator network and the most powerful AI Influencer platform. Arthur Sadoun, global CEO, Publicis Groupe, commented: “Through this acquisition, we are further reinforcing our 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.”
According to Sadoun, the 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.”
Krishna Subramanian, Captiv8 co-founder & CEO (pictured), added: “Captiv8 was built to unify the fragmented creator economy – turning influence into a commerce engine that drives real ROI. Publicis Groupe shares that vision for a fully connected, data-powered future. Together, we’re not just scaling creator marketing, we’re transforming it into a global growth channel that delivers measurable impact from first impression to final purchase.”
Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential, said: “We look forward to combining the power of Captiv8’s influencer platform with Influential and providing best-in-class capabilities to all our clients. As leaders in the influencer marketing space, we bring unrivalled expertise, innovation, and transformation for our clients.”
