Publicis Groupe has officially announced the acquisition of Captiv8, a globally leading end-to-end influencer marketing platform. With this acquisition, Publicis brings together the power of Captiv8’s advanced AI technology, creator network, and commerce-driven influencer tools with Influential’s scale and client services, all underpinned by Epsilon’s identity and activation solutions. This move positions Publicis at the forefront of the global influencer marketing space by creating an unmatched platform for brand engagement, influencer management, and measurable business impact.

Highlights of the Acquisition

1. Captiv8’s Unmatched Global Influence

• A network of 15 million creators, covering 95% of all influencers with 5K+ followers.

• Operational in 120 countries, with support for local languages and currencies.

• Processes over 2.5 billion social posts annually, ensuring real-time, global-scale insights.

2. A Top-Ranked, AI-Driven Influencer Platform

• Ranked #1 Enterprise Influencer Platform by G2.

• Offers a unified data foundation, AI automation, and social listening capabilities.

• Branded Storefronts solutions connect influencer, commerce, and affiliate strategies seamlessly.

3. Formation of the World’s Largest Creator Network

• Combined network reaches over 15 million creators, including 90% of influencers with 1M+ followers.

• Enables brands to engage highly targeted and engaged audiences at unprecedented scale.

• Competes with the reach of leading social media platforms.

4. Powerful AI-Powered Influencer Marketing Engine

• Captiv8 will power Publicis’ Connected Influencer offering, integrated with Epsilon’s CoreID.

• Allows for cohesive planning, activation, and control of influencer strategies across platforms and regions.

• Enhances visibility and efficiency of influencer campaigns.

5. Integrated Social Commerce Capabilities

• Creator Commerce tools allow monetization of influencer content across all key digital channels.

• Delivers closed-loop conversion with a seamless blend of content, commerce, and affiliate.

• Simplifies execution of end-to-end influencer-driven shopping experiences.

6. Transparent, Real-Time Measurement for ROI

• Aggregates identity, influencer, and transaction data into a single platform.

• Enables full-funnel, real-time performance tracking across all influencer efforts.

• Drives clarity and accountability, ensuring marketing investments deliver tangible business results.

Leadership Perspectives on the Acquisition

Arthur Sadoun, Global CEO, Publicis Groupe:

“This platform is a one-stop-shop for our clients’ influencer marketing initiatives... With the largest influencer community and the most advanced tech, we can ignite earned-first programs to supercharge campaigns with authentic virality and direct commerce connections.”

Krishna Subramanian, CEO, Captiv8:

“Captiv8 was built to unify the fragmented creator economy. Together with Publicis, we’re not just scaling influencer marketing, we’re transforming it into a measurable, global growth channel.”

Ryan Detert, CEO, Influential:

“We bring unrivaled innovation and expertise to our clients. Together with Captiv8, we’re co-authoring the future of global influencer marketing.”

With the integration of Captiv8 into Publicis Connected Media, Publicis Groupe is redefining influencer marketing at a global scale. This strategic acquisition fuses scale, AI-driven technology, commerce capabilities, and transparent measurement into a single cohesive ecosystem. The result is a Category of One influencer marketing platform that empowers brands to plan, activate, and measure influencer campaigns with a level of precision, scale, and authenticity previously unseen in the industry. The future of creator marketing is not only connected but commerce-enabled and measurable—Publicis is leading the charge.