The influencer marketing sector, valued at $44.2 billion globally and growing at a 12.8% compound annual growth rate, has seen significant merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in 2025 despite a sharp decline in deals in 2024, according to Quartermast Advisors’ “2025 Influencer Marketing M&A Report.”
Transaction volume decreased 68.4% year-over-year in 2024, but early indicators point to renewed M&A activity in 2025. This follows a surge in acquisitions between 2020 and 2023, coinciding with increased digital spending catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The comprehensive analysis documents 189 influencer marketing acquisitions since 2014, with agencies accounting for the dominant share at 57.1% of all transactions. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms account for 25.9%, while marketplace acquisitions make up 16.9% of deals.
Agency Holding Companies Lead Acquisition Charge
Traditional agency groups emerge as primary buyers of influencer marketing firms, with recent high-profile transactions reshaping the landscape. Publicis Groupe leads with four significant acquisitions, including the sector’s largest deal to date – the purchase of tech-enabled agency Influential for $380 million in July 2024.
“Traditional agency groups are increasingly acquiring influencer agencies to bolster their digital capabilities,” the report states. WPP established an early presence in the sector with purchases of Village Marketing, Goat Agency, and Obviously, while Publicis expanded its portfolio with both agency and technology acquisitions.
The most active buyer identified in the report is IZEA, with six acquisitions since 2015, followed by Launchmetrics with five deals. Publicis Groupe and WPP round out the top acquirers with four and three transactions respectively.
Geographic Distribution
North America remains the epicenter of influencer marketing transactions, accounting for 44.4% of acquisition targets and 46.6% of buyers. European companies follow closely, with 39.7% of targets and 41.8% of buyers, while the remaining deals are distributed across Asia (12.2% of targets), Australia (2.1%), and Latin America (1.6%).
The United States drives North American activity with 43.9% of all deals, while the United Kingdom (10.2%), France (9.1%), and Germany (4.8%) represent key European markets for M&A transactions.
“We expect M&A activity to increase in the southern hemisphere over the next 2-3 years as global players look to enter new markets,” the report forecasts.
Valuation Multiples Vary By Business Model
The report provides insight into typical valuation ranges across business models, with influencer marketing agencies typically valued between 4.8x and 9.1x EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), with a median multiple of 6.1x. Marketplace valuations command premium multiples between 10.0x and 27.3x EBITDA (median: 15.0x), while SaaS businesses trade for 4.5x to 7.4x annual recurring revenue (median: 6.7x).
Quartermast’s analysis indicates that SaaS companies are typically valued based on annual recurring revenue, while agencies and marketplaces are priced according to projected future profitability measured by EBITDA.
Notable Transactions
The report highlights several landmark transactions that have transformed the influencer marketing ecosystem:
Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of Influential for up to $380 million (July 2024)
Later’s purchase of social commerce platform Mavely from Nu Skin Enterprises for $250 million (January 2025)
Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of influencer marketing SaaS platform Captiv8 for $175 million (May 2025)
Lectra’s majority stake investment in brand marketing platform Launchmetrics at a $169 million valuation (January 2024)
Sprout Social’s $144 million acquisition of influencer marketing tool Tagger (August 2023)
These deals illustrate growing strategic interest in influencer marketing capabilities from adjacent sectors, including social media management, affiliate marketing, and commerce platforms.
M&A Drivers and Strategic Rationale
The report identifies several factors driving acquisition activity in the influencer marketing sector. Strategic buyers, particularly agency holding companies, seek to integrate influencer capabilities into broader marketing service offerings. Technology buyers aim to add creator marketing functionality to existing software platforms.
For example, Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of Influential “unites a scaled influencer marketing agency with Publicis’s advanced consumer insights,” enabling brands to identify creators who resonate with target customers while increasing effectiveness of cross-channel marketing campaigns.
Similarly, Sprout Social’s acquisition of Tagger Media added influencer marketing capabilities to its product portfolio, supporting “more social media use cases and delivering deeper insights to its global customer base.”
Future Outlook and 2026 Predictions
Quartermast Advisors projects a resurgence in M&A activity for 2026 as economic conditions improve, with buyers focusing on scalable platforms and profitable agencies. Key drivers include decreasing macroeconomic uncertainty, easing interest rates, and buyers seeking scale in a maturing ecosystem.
The report forecasts four specific trends for 2026:
Rebounding transaction volume after the 2024 decline.
Larger, cross-category deals exceeding $100 million that incorporate adjacent capabilities such as UGC (User Generated Content) marketing, social commerce, and employee advocacy.
Increased cross-border transactions as companies expand global reach, particularly in Europe and Asia.
New monetization models beyond traditional branded content, including affiliate marketing, user-generated content, and experiential activations.
Acquisition Targets to Watch
The report identifies several companies as potential acquisition candidates in both agency and SaaS categories.
Notable agency acquisition targets include Viral Nation, The Influencer Marketing Factory, LINQIA, NOREACH, Pulse Advertising, and Billion Dollar Boy.
In the software sector, potential targets include GRIN, Cohley, CreatorIQ, Aspire, The Cirqle, traackr, and upfluence.
“Looking ahead, we expect buyers to prioritize companies with proven track records, healthy margins, and consistent growth,” the report concludes. “As the influencer marketing industry continues to solidify its role in the advertising ecosystem, M&A will remain a vital tool for driving strategic growth and unlocking new markets.”
The full report, produced by Quartermast Advisors, a boutique M&A advisory firm specializing in digital media, technology, and the creator economy, contains additional transaction details, valuation insights, and market analysis.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
The influencer marketing sector, valued at $44.2 billion globally and growing at a 12.8% compound annual growth rate, has seen significant merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in 2025 despite a sharp decline in deals in 2024, according to Quartermast Advisors’ “2025 Influencer Marketing M&A Report.”
Transaction volume decreased 68.4% year-over-year in 2024, but early indicators point to renewed M&A activity in 2025. This follows a surge in acquisitions between 2020 and 2023, coinciding with increased digital spending catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The comprehensive analysis documents 189 influencer marketing acquisitions since 2014, with agencies accounting for the dominant share at 57.1% of all transactions. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms account for 25.9%, while marketplace acquisitions make up 16.9% of deals.
Agency Holding Companies Lead Acquisition Charge
Traditional agency groups emerge as primary buyers of influencer marketing firms, with recent high-profile transactions reshaping the landscape. Publicis Groupe leads with four significant acquisitions, including the sector’s largest deal to date – the purchase of tech-enabled agency Influential for $380 million in July 2024.
“Traditional agency groups are increasingly acquiring influencer agencies to bolster their digital capabilities,” the report states. WPP established an early presence in the sector with purchases of Village Marketing, Goat Agency, and Obviously, while Publicis expanded its portfolio with both agency and technology acquisitions.
The most active buyer identified in the report is IZEA, with six acquisitions since 2015, followed by Launchmetrics with five deals. Publicis Groupe and WPP round out the top acquirers with four and three transactions respectively.
Geographic Distribution
North America remains the epicenter of influencer marketing transactions, accounting for 44.4% of acquisition targets and 46.6% of buyers. European companies follow closely, with 39.7% of targets and 41.8% of buyers, while the remaining deals are distributed across Asia (12.2% of targets), Australia (2.1%), and Latin America (1.6%).
The United States drives North American activity with 43.9% of all deals, while the United Kingdom (10.2%), France (9.1%), and Germany (4.8%) represent key European markets for M&A transactions.
“We expect M&A activity to increase in the southern hemisphere over the next 2-3 years as global players look to enter new markets,” the report forecasts.
Valuation Multiples Vary By Business Model
The report provides insight into typical valuation ranges across business models, with influencer marketing agencies typically valued between 4.8x and 9.1x EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), with a median multiple of 6.1x. Marketplace valuations command premium multiples between 10.0x and 27.3x EBITDA (median: 15.0x), while SaaS businesses trade for 4.5x to 7.4x annual recurring revenue (median: 6.7x).
Quartermast’s analysis indicates that SaaS companies are typically valued based on annual recurring revenue, while agencies and marketplaces are priced according to projected future profitability measured by EBITDA.
Notable Transactions
The report highlights several landmark transactions that have transformed the influencer marketing ecosystem:
These deals illustrate growing strategic interest in influencer marketing capabilities from adjacent sectors, including social media management, affiliate marketing, and commerce platforms.
M&A Drivers and Strategic Rationale
The report identifies several factors driving acquisition activity in the influencer marketing sector. Strategic buyers, particularly agency holding companies, seek to integrate influencer capabilities into broader marketing service offerings. Technology buyers aim to add creator marketing functionality to existing software platforms.
For example, Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of Influential “unites a scaled influencer marketing agency with Publicis’s advanced consumer insights,” enabling brands to identify creators who resonate with target customers while increasing effectiveness of cross-channel marketing campaigns.
Similarly, Sprout Social’s acquisition of Tagger Media added influencer marketing capabilities to its product portfolio, supporting “more social media use cases and delivering deeper insights to its global customer base.”
Future Outlook and 2026 Predictions
Quartermast Advisors projects a resurgence in M&A activity for 2026 as economic conditions improve, with buyers focusing on scalable platforms and profitable agencies. Key drivers include decreasing macroeconomic uncertainty, easing interest rates, and buyers seeking scale in a maturing ecosystem.
The report forecasts four specific trends for 2026:
Acquisition Targets to Watch
The report identifies several companies as potential acquisition candidates in both agency and SaaS categories.
Notable agency acquisition targets include Viral Nation, The Influencer Marketing Factory, LINQIA, NOREACH, Pulse Advertising, and Billion Dollar Boy.
In the software sector, potential targets include GRIN, Cohley, CreatorIQ, Aspire, The Cirqle, traackr, and upfluence.
“Looking ahead, we expect buyers to prioritize companies with proven track records, healthy margins, and consistent growth,” the report concludes. “As the influencer marketing industry continues to solidify its role in the advertising ecosystem, M&A will remain a vital tool for driving strategic growth and unlocking new markets.”
The full report, produced by Quartermast Advisors, a boutique M&A advisory firm specializing in digital media, technology, and the creator economy, contains additional transaction details, valuation insights, and market analysis.
Image credit: Quartermast Advisors
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