Publicis Groupe launches Influential in Australia after global buys

Publicis Groupe has launched Influential in Australia, uniting its local social, content and creator offerings under a single banner as the holding company leans into creator commerce and influencer capabilities.

The move follows Publicis’ acquisition of Influential in July 2024 and Captiv8 in May 2025, deals that brought a large creator network and AI-driven tooling into the Groupe’s stack.

Influential Australia will sit across Publicis’ media, creative and communications shops to offer an end-to-end product spanning strategy, creator identification, production and paid social. Publicis positions the offer as a centre of excellence for existing clients and new business.

“The rise of influencers and content creators over the past 18 months remains a powerful marketing phenomenon," Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, said in a statement.

"To truly optimise investment and impact in this space, an end-to-end solution is essential. By integrating our influencer expertise, platform, creative strategy, content production and social media buying, we now have Australia’s most connected influencer and social agency.”

Skye Lambley, who leads Publicis’ Influence Practice across Herd MSL and Salterbaxter, will head the new agency with newly appointed GM Cat Wilkinson. The team launches with 30-plus specialists across strategy, creative, performance, creator management and paid social, with clients spanning telco, FMCG, retail, beauty and food.

“Clients need a truly connected offering that spans the full spectrum of social media. By bringing all our social expertise under one roof, we’re delivering a unified, strategic solution that drives and measures clear business results,” Lambley said.

Publicis’ creator playbook now couples Influential’s AI-powered vetting and workflow with Captiv8’s social commerce suite and Epsilon identity data, aiming to close the loop from culture to conversion.