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Trending The Market
Accenture Acquires Whalar To Supercharge Creator-Driven Marketing
Accenture Song, the marketing-services division of consulting giant Accenture, has acquired influencer-focused marketing agency Whalar in what’s being described as the “largest creator economy transaction” ever.
The Big Pitch: Accenture, which is mostly focused on servicing major enterprise clients, clearly sees immense value in adding influencers into offerings. It shows that the brand-creator economy is no longer a niche within the marketing ecosystem — it’s what SI Global partner Tristan Rice calls, a "coming-of-age moment for creator marketing."
The Fine Print: Considering that Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of Influential was pegged at $500 million, it’s possible that Accenture Song’s deal for Whalar neared the 10-figure mark.
And it’s money well spent.
Whalar is the rare creator marketing agency with global scale, managing $600 million in campaigns for blue-chip brands like Ikea, Nike, and Activision.
Accenture plans to combine Whalar’s creator knowledge with its expertise in data, commerce, and AI tools… giving influencer campaigns ultimate reach and efficiency.
The hope is to evolve one-off sponsorships with creators into ongoing relationships that are wide-ranging and measurable.
That could involve plugging creators into major marketing campaigns or even designing products with influencers that can have a global footprint.
The Analysis: With WPP Media forecasting that creator-driven revenue will hit $376.6 billion by 2030 (more than double this year), the sector could become Accenture’s biggest growth engine. That’s something every major marketing agency has noticed, which explains all the M&A activity in this space.
Accenture previously bought Superdigital, Publicis acquired Influential and Captiv8, WPP took over the Goat Agency, and Omnicom folded up several creator-focused divisions into Creo.
Major Hollywood agency Creative Artists Agency and Integrated Media Company (the investment arm of PE giant TPG) are pouring $250 million into a new creator-focused investment firm, Compound Creative Holdings.
Speaking to AdWeek, Accenture Song CEO Ndidi Oteh summed up the reasoning best: “Accenture Song is a company that is always focused on how to help other brands and companies drive growth—the only way you’re going to do that is also relying on the insights from the creator community.”
For brands, creators are now both an indispensable research team and A-list ambassadors.
Together with Consumable
Audio For The Outcomes Era
Most media plans treat audio as a few line items: a streaming buy, maybe a podcast sponsorship. But the audio ecosystem is far bigger than that… and much of it is going untouched.
Mobile apps, addressable podcast audiences, and creator-led content extended across platforms — these are spaces where attention is intentional and trust already exists.
Consumable opens up that ecosystem.
The tool helps you reach 210M+ Comscore-verified monthly users across formats and channels.
It’s powered by listener intelligence, precision targeting, and modern identity infrastructure.
Every audio impression is measurable, addressable, and tied to real outcomes.
Consumable lets brands reach audiences wherever they listen, with the same precision and accountability marketers expect from their best digital channels.
Through immersive ad experiences that combine audio, visuals, and interactivity, brands can finally turn listening into engagement and business impact.
Building The Stack
Airbnb Books Creator Partnerships
One of Airbnb’s most successful features in recent years has been “Experiences,” which allows users to book unique activities organized by locals. Airbnb now plans to add creator-led experiences to the offerings — a major opportunity “as travel becomes more personalized and driven by communities, according to CEO Brian Chesky. Creator sponsorships may soon be able to deliver customers directly to your business.
LinkedIn Is Evolving To Service Creators
The top thing that keeps creators posting on a platform is monetization opportunities… and LinkedIn has realized it’s been lacking in giving those tools to the sudden explosion of influencers on its site. According to internal documents, the company is rolling out several new features in the coming year, including a marketplace to connect creators and brands, a system that allows brands to purchase one-off “experiences” from creators, and a subscription feature for thought leaders. Looks like LinkedIn is about to breed a new kind of influencer.
“Trust” Drives Consumer Conversions
McCann’s new “The Truth About Global Brands” study has some stark findings for brands — if consumers don’t trust you, they won’t spend their money on you. 69% of survey respondents say they’d abandon a brand they don’t trust, while 80% of respondents say they “actively choose” ones they do. Considering that the Better Business Bureau found that trust in creator recommendations is higher than any other endorsement, creator relationships are key in the new economy.
How do you want to see creators weaved into global ad campaigns?
Social Updates
Meta is beefing up its video-editing Edits app, with an AI assistant on desktop, a Beta tab for creators to toy with in-development features, and deeper audience metrics.
TikTok Shop released an updated Content Policy for brands and creators to maintain in good standing — make sure you’re in compliance.
Pinterest is becoming the destination for creators’ Amazon Storefronts, allowing for it to generate revenue from affiliate links that funnel sales to Amazon.
Bluesky is doubling down on becoming a community hub like Discord and Reddit with a new “Communities” feature for more-focused conversations.
Spotify is introducing a Creator Sponsorships program for podcasters, which should drive more ad inventory to the format.
Substack is launching a new sponsorship program that connects brands with popular newsletter writers.
Wrapping Up
That's the week in the brand-creator economy. We'll be back in your inbox next Tuesday.
Programming for the Authentic Forum is underway, and we're thrilled to be building a gathering where the decision-makers, creators, and platforms shaping this space are in actual conversation with each other… not just sharing a stage. November 17th in NYC is shaping up to be the convening this community deserves.
If there's someone you believe this event wouldn't be complete without, a brand doing the work that others are still trying to figure out, or a creator whose partnerships belong in front of this room, drop us a line. The best programs are built with input from the people closest to the work.
Send your recommendations to [email protected]
See you next week.
— The Authentic Team