Publicis Groupe buys Captiv8 to grow influencer and social commerce capabilities

Publicis Groupe announced Wednesday it acquired Captiv8, adding another influencer marketing platform to its portfolio. Publicis acquired Influential back in July 2024.

As influencer marketing evolves from a cottage industry to a popular and ever-growing channel, traditional agencies are buying influencer platforms to ensure they get a piece of the influencer pie. 

As Publicis was snapping up Influential, Stagwell added both LEADERS and InfluencerMarketing.AI. Later, an influencer marketing and social media management platform acquired Mavely in January.

Dig deeper: The most effective influencer campaigns are built on fit, not fame

Captiv8 brings a sizable influencer network to Publicis Groupe. Captiv8 claims 15 million creators globally, including 95% of all influencers with 5,000 followers or more.

In addition to creators, Captiv8 also brings proprietary AI-powered technology and social listening technology. 

However, what likely made Captiv8 an attractive acquisition target was its social commerce suite. Captiv8 offers Branded Storefronts, which connect influencer, commerce and affiliate channels in a single platform. 

In a statement announcing the acquisition, Publicis Groupe described its strategy for Cativ8, Influential, and its own Epsilon identity and activation technology. 

These three platforms will form the world’s largest creator network, an AI-powered influencer platform and a popular social commerce engine. Publicis Groupe also sees the capability to deliver transparent, real-time, full-funnel measurement of the business impact of creator marketing across platforms and media channels.