WPP expands in influencer marketing with Goat
WPP has bought The Goat Agency, a 150-strong influencer operator. Goat will join GroupM, WPP’s media agency group and merge with its influencer marketer INCA to create what it calls the “first truly global influencer marketing agency” which will have around 300 employees.
The merged entity will be known as Goat. The agency was founded by Arron Shepherd, Nick Cooke and Harry Hugo in 2015. Clients have included Dell, Beiersdorf, Meta, Tesco, Uber, EA, Natura and Augustinus Bader.
Co-founder Shepherd says: “We couldn’t be happier to be joining WPP and GroupM to bring our leading global influencer marketing and digital solutions to some of the best brands in the world. We are delighted to combine forces with the amazing talent at INCA to deliver even better value for our clients all over the world.”
WPP CEO Mark Read says: “Influencer marketing is a key growth priority for the industry and for WPP. Our clients are increasingly planning budgets at a global scale and require partners that have the global reach to help deliver, whilst driving engagement and impact at a local level.
“Goat’s proven track record in the influencer marketing space paired with GroupM’s record of excellence will continue to build on our unparalleled expertise in this area.”