Publicis Groupe announced the acquisition of Captiv8, a leading end-to-end influencer marketing platform, marking a significant leap in its mission to deliver the most comprehensive, connected influencer solution on the market.
With a network of 15 million creators across 120 countries, Captiv8 supports 95% of influencers with over 5,000 followers. Its proprietary, AI-powered technology and advanced social commerce suite empower brands to seamlessly manage, measure, and scale influencer campaigns that drive real business outcomes.
Captiv8 has earned its reputation as the #1 Enterprise Influencer Platform on G2, recognized for its unified data infrastructure, AI automation, social listening tools, and Branded Storefronts. These tools connect influencer marketing with commerce and affiliate strategies in a single, streamlined platform—processing more than 2.5 billion social posts annually and supporting multiple currencies and languages globally.
Also Read: Vistar Media and Spotzi Forge Global Data Partnership to Power Scalable, Cross-Border OOH Audience Targeting
Now, in combination with Influential’s client services and Epsilon’s identity and activation technology, the acquisition creates a powerhouse influencer ecosystem that sets a new industry standard:
The Largest Creator Network in the World
Together, Captiv8 and Influential offer access to more than 15 million creators, covering 95% of mid-tier influencers (5K+ followers) and 90% of top-tier influencers (1M+ followers). This enables brands to engage high-value audiences across all major platforms with unmatched reach and precision.
The Most Advanced AI-Driven Influencer Platform
Captiv8’s award-winning capabilities will serve as the foundation for Publicis’ Connected Influencer offering, enhanced by Epsilon’s Core ID technology. This allows brands to integrate influencer strategies across media channels, markets, and platforms with precision, control, and unified execution.
A Fully Integrated Social Commerce Engine
Captiv8’s commerce solutions will allow creators and brands to monetize content more effectively, powering a closed-loop conversion system that spans social, commerce, and affiliate environments—all from a single platform.
Full-Funnel, Transparent Measurement
By integrating identity, influencer, and transaction data within one environment, Publicis clients will gain real-time, full-funnel insights into the effectiveness of influencer campaigns—ensuring every marketing dollar delivers measurable value.
Captiv8 will join Publicis Connected Media and operate alongside Influential, further strengthening Publicis Groupe’s global influencer offering.
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. This platform is a one-stop-shop for our clients’ influencer marketing initiatives. They can uniquely unite, plan and optimize 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 programs 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.”
Krishna Subramanian, Co-Founder & CEO, Captiv8, 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, Influential, said: “We look forward to combining the power of Captiv8’s award-winning influencer platform with Influential and providing best-in-class capabilities to all of our clients. As two leaders in the influencer marketing space, together, we bring unrivaled expertise, innovation, and transformation for our clients. We’re excited to collaborate with Krishna and Sunil to co-author the future of global influencer marketing at Publicis.”
This acquisition is a strategic milestone for Publicis Groupe, setting the stage for the next chapter of scalable, AI-driven, and commerce-connected influencer marketing on a global scale.