Explore the latest developments concerning EXCLUSIVE: Accenture Song.
EXCLUSIVE: Accenture Song Will Buy Whalar, Gaining Global Scale in Influencer Marketing
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Accenture Song, the consulting giant’s marketing services arm, confirmed it intends to acquire marketing agency Whalar, which connects brands with creators, from its holding company parent Whalar Group.
Whalar’s co-CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk will continue leading the agency, and the other companies within Whalar Group will remain independent.
Accenture Song declined to reveal the terms, but Whalar Group cofounder Neil Waller described the acquisition as the industry’s “largest creator economy transaction.” For context, Publicis Groupe bought influencer agency Influential in 2024 for a reported $500 million.
Why Accenture buying Whalar is a 'coming-of-age moment' for creator marketing
My DMs have been buzzing about Accenture Song's planned acquisition of the creator and social agency Whalar. Industry insiders are particularly interested in what it means for the future of influencer marketing M&A.
Tristan Rice, partner at the M&A firm SI Global, told CMO Insider the deal is a "coming-of-age moment for creator marketing." He said it was evidence of big marketing budgets moving into the sector, since Accenture's client base is weighted toward large enterprise clients.
Accenture Song, the consulting firm's marketing services arm, is somewhat late to making a big influencer marketing play, though it acquired a smaller social firm, Superdigital, last year. Notable recent transactions in the space include WPP buying The Goat Agency and Obviously in 2023, Havas acquiring Wilderness in 2024, and Publicis Groupe picking up Influential in 2024 and Captiv8 in 2025.
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Why Consulting Firms are Targeting Creators 🎯
Marketing group Accenture Song acquires the agency division of creator talent company Whalar
Good morning. Another creator film has entered the chat. The Amazing Digital Circus’ finale episode grossed $19.5M in theaters during opening weekend, while Obsession and Backrooms both crossed the $200M mark—becoming the highest grossing films of all time for their respective studios.
The YouTube to cinema pipeline is starting to look a lot more like a highway.
(Left to right) Whalar's co-CEO Emma Harman, Accenture Song's Ndidi Oteh, and Whalar's co-CEO Jo Cronk join as Accenture Song acquires Whalar's agency arm for creator talent / Photo courtesy of Accenture Song
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