WPP acquires influencer marketing agency Goat

WPP has acquired the global data-led influencer marketing agency Goat.

Goat, which specialises in campaigns centred around performance and measurement, has 150 staff across three offices, with a client roster including Tesco, Meta, Dell and Uber. It focuses on authentic brand engagement and the integration of targeted media, through social and influencer campaigns.

The agency was founded by Arron Shepherd, Nick Cooke, and Harry Hugo in 2014 and has tracked the performance of more than 50,000 influencer channels and 250,000 pieces of content.

Mark Read, CEO, WPP, said: “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.”

Goat to merge with INCA

Goat will join WPP’s media investment group GroupM to merge with its influencer marketing solution INCA. The merger, which will retain the Goat brand, will create a global influencer marketing agency with more than 300 employees in over 30 markets and will operate as part of GroupM Nexus.

Arron Shepherd, Founder and CEO, Goat, said: “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.”

The acquisition follows WPP’s buys of 3K Communications, Fēnom Digital, Diff, Passport, JeffreyGroup and Newcraft in the last six months, and that of influencer marketing agency Village Marketing in February 2022.

Christian Juhl, Global CEO, GroupM, added: “The addition of Goat to GroupM as part of GroupM Nexus gives us the ability to deliver accountable, cross-channel, and data-driven influencer solutions for clients anywhere in the world. Combined with the exceptional talent at INCA, we expect Goat to play a critical role in helping us define the next era of media at GroupM.”