You & Mr Jones snaps up influencer rival Collectively

David Jones’ You & Mr Jones “brandtech” group is not to be outdone by rival Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital in the alternative marcoms stakes.

You & Mr Jones has bought influencer business Collectively in the US, to merge with theAmplify to try to create the world’s biggest influencer business. The new company, Collectively, is helmed by its founder Ryan Stern (below.)

Key clients of the combined operation include, Adobe, Coty, Danone, De Beers, Diageo, HP, Intuit, LinkedIn, NFL, Old Navy and Unilever.

You & Mr Jones was valued at $1.3bn when it raised a further $200m in late 2019. The group says it delivered 27 pewr cent organic growth in the first half of 2020, Covid or no Covid.

Jones says: “We’ve had a great first six months of the year delivering very strong organic growth, underscoring the strength and relevance of our technology-driven business model and the extent to which brandtech is disrupting the traditional category.

“Merging Collectively and theAmplify is an important step on our journey to the build the world’s number one genuinely global influencer capability for our clients. Alongside our investments in Traackr and Tribe Dynamics, it gives us unparalleled capabilities in the influencer space.”

Collectively CEO Stern says: “Culture is changing at an unprecedented pace and people around the world are increasingly turning to influential people on social media to make sense of what’s happening. To stay relevant in 2020 and beyond, brands must recognize the power of people-powered marketing and advocacy.

“Joining forces with theAmplify will accelerate that trajectory and being part of the You & Mr Jones Group will give us major global reach and access to its platform of the most advanced brand and marketing technology companies.”