Accenture Song to acquire Whalar

Accenture Song is set to acquire creator marketing agency Whalar, in a deal that will bring one of the creator economy's best-known companies into the consulting giant's portfolio.

The consultancy said the acquisition will bolster its influencer capabilities, helping brands integrate creators more deeply into customer experiences.

"Social is where brands are discovered, where modern commerce is happening and where consumer habits tell us what products and services are going to win next," said Accenture Song chief executive Ndidi Oteh.

Accenture Song is the marketing, design and digital experience arm of Accenture, the professional services firm.

Whalar is the creator and social agency arm of Whalar Group. Founded in 2016, it has run more than $600 million in creator campaigns across more than 40 countries and 15 languages, and employs more than 170 people across the US, UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain.

Announcing the deal on LinkedIn, Whalar co-chief executive Emma Harman described it as "a defining moment" for the business.

"When I joined Whalar in 2018, influencer marketing was still fragmented, underestimated, and often misunderstood," she wrote. "Now, with Accenture Song, we have the platform to go again."

In a joint statement, Harman and co-chief executive Jo Cronk said Whalar had spent the past decade championing creators in advertising.

"We have championed the impact of creators, co-created the creator economy, and powered the creator revolution," they said.

Both Harman and Cronk will remain in their roles following the acquisition.

Alongside the deal, the companies announced a three-year strategic partnership giving Accenture Song access to the wider Whalar Group, which will continue to operate independently under co-founders Neil Waller and James Street.

Waller described the deal as the largest creator economy transaction to date, and said Accenture Song had approached Whalar before it considered a sale.

"When Accenture Song approached us, it was the first time we seriously considered this path," he wrote on LinkedIn. "Not because we were looking to exit, but because of what it represented."

The acquisition follows a series of creator-focused investments by Accenture Song, including the acquisitions of social agency Unlimited in 2024 and Superdigital in 2025.

It also comes amid a broader wave of investment and consolidation across the creator marketing sector. In April, Publicis Groupe acquired UK social and influencer agency Fabric Social, adding to its earlier acquisitions of Influential for a reported $500 million in 2024 and creator platform Captiv8 for a reported $150 million in 2025. Last week, Edelman appointed its first global chief creator officer as major communications groups continue to expand their creator capabilities.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.