Accenture Song acquired creator agency Whalar in a deal valued at over $500 million — the largest transaction in the influencer marketing space. The acquisition confirms that blogger advertising has ceased to be a tactical marketing tool and has transformed into a strategic asset at the board level.
Why influencer marketing is now a CEO question
Brian Yasko, Managing Director at Accenture Song, explains the acquisition as a paradigm shift for brands: "This is not just another competency. The creator economy is a conversation not only with the CMO, but with the CEO. They need to rethink product development, supply chains, marketing. The old playbook — build a brand, ensure message consistency, dominate the shelf — is becoming obsolete."
Emma Harmon, co-CEO of Whalar, confirms growing C-suite interest: "The data is there. We've participated in MMM modeling; traditional measurement companies — Kantar, Nielsen — are entering the space and providing tools for assessment. CEOs ask: what infrastructure do we need to build to become social-first? Which agencies should we partner with? How do we achieve cultural relevance and personalized relationships with our audience?"
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Operational infrastructure as competitive advantage
Accenture acquired Whalar not for its creator database — the holding already has two specialized agencies, Unlimited and Superdigital, acquired in 2024 and 2025. The acquisition targets the operational layer: technologies for selection, verification, and campaign execution that transform scattered influencers into a planned media channel with predictable budgets.
The market is growing so rapidly that it's entered an automation phase — Unilever manages an army of 300,000 creators using artificial intelligence. But Yasko emphasizes that technology won't replace the human foundation. "The creator economy is built on people-to-people connection. This isn't static content; it's the human element. Whalar understands this better than anyone and places it at the center of everything they do. You need to stay relevant to platforms, creators, and clients — that triangle is at the heart of our future work."
Three tiers of working with creators: from mass commerce to cultural collaborations
Harmon identifies three strategic approaches to influencer integrations. First — social commerce: simultaneously working with thousands of creators on platforms like TikTok Shop or Amazon Live turns them into a global sales division. Second — top creators producing entertainment content and expanding into media and film. Third — high-level cultural partnerships.
"There's a full stack of possibilities with creators at the center. The question is how to operationalize this and build infrastructure around it," says Harmon. She notes a shift in media planning: brands are moving from demographic targeting to community-based planning, from broadcast approaches to engagement in cultural contexts.
Standardizing measurement and long-term vision
Harmon leads the Influencer Marketing Trade Body in the UK — an association of 40 agencies working on standards, regulation, and compliance. "We want this to be a healthy and sustainable environment where brands trust the work, the content, and where it's regulated the same way as other advertising."
Kantar and Nielsen are launching new products for assessing influencer ads — not just as a media channel, but by parameters of cultural strength, algorithmic power, brand building, and impact on sales. "This is not just performance and not just an SMM team task. It's something much bigger — a fundamental part of brand architecture," Harmon emphasizes.
Yasko cautions against the illusion of complete market understanding: "My team and Whalar agreed not to get consumed by short-term tasks. We're thinking about long-term opportunities — what this can and should become, rather than claiming we already understand everything."
Practical takeaways for Russian brands
Global consolidation in the influencer marketing space reflects a reality: working with creators requires the same operational discipline as traditional media — a selection system, verification of reach, KPI forecasting before campaign launch. For Russian brands building an integration strategy, it's critical to rely on agencies with transparent media buying methodology and effectiveness evaluation tools. A professional approach to creator selection, ad labeling, and analytics is what distinguishes systematic work from chaotic one-off placements. This is the expertise offered by the ETC team, combining influencer selection with full-cycle media buying and results forecasting.
Frequently asked questions
Why did influencer marketing become a CEO issue and not just a CMO concern?
Because working with creators affects not just marketing, but product development, supply chains, and overall brand strategy. Creators provide instant feedback on whether a product is relevant to the market, which is critical for business growth. CEOs see this as a tool for company transformation, not just an advertising channel.
How do you measure influencer advertising effectiveness at the business metrics level?
Leading measurement companies — Kantar, Nielsen — are implementing products to evaluate creator content by parameters of brand strengthening, cultural influence, algorithmic power, and sales impact, not just reach. Integrating influencer campaigns into MMM models allows comparison of their contribution with other channels. Professional agencies build a learning agenda with hypothesis testing and step-by-step scaling of successful mechanics.
What's the difference between one-off integrations and systematic work with influencers?
Systematic work implies operational infrastructure: a database of verified creators, selection technologies based on audience parameters, quality control processes, and effectiveness analytics. This transforms influencers from one-time partners into a planned media channel with predictable KPIs and budget, which is necessary for scaling and integration into overall marketing strategy.
In brief
- Accenture Song acquired Whalar for over $500 million — the largest deal in influencer marketing, confirming the strategic status of the sector
- Working with creators has shifted from marketing tactics to CEO-level discussions — affecting product strategy, supply chains, and business models
- The deal's priority is operational infrastructure for selection, verification, and campaign management, transforming creators into a planned media channel
- The market has entered an automation phase (Unilever manages 300,000 creators through AI), but human connection remains the foundation
- Three strategic tiers of engagement: mass social commerce, top-tier entertainment content, cultural collaborations
- Kantar and Nielsen are launching tools to measure creator campaigns not just by reach, but by brand and sales impact
- Media planning is shifting from demographics to communities, from broadcast to cultural integration
- For Russian brands, systematic work with agencies possessing media buying methodology and KPI forecasting expertise is critical
Want to see where the market is heading before your competitors do? The ETC team builds a media strategy and media plan for your niche — with reach forecasts and KPIs fixed in the contract.
