WPP Acquires Social Influencer Marketing Agency Obviously

WPP announced the acquisition of Obviously, a technology-led social influencer marketing agency based in New York, with operations in San Francisco and Paris. 

Founded by Mae Karwowski and Maxime Domain in 2014, Obviously’s proprietary next generation tech platform increases campaign efficiency and enables the company to service large-scale complex campaigns for enterprise clients, including Google, Ford, Ulta Beauty and Amazon. Obviously offers a full stack of end-to-end services, including marketing strategy, influencer identification, content creation, campaign management, and robust reporting and analysis. Its team of nearly 100 people will join VMLY&R’s network, accelerating the WPP agency’s investment in award-winning data and social media work. 

Obviously’s tech offerings include automating processes; streamlined workflow between influencers, clients and internal teams; and enhancing data to deliver real-time campaign and audience insights. The agency’s unique data analytics infrastructure also leverages AI to deliver predictive analysis and assess campaign pricing and benchmarking. 

Obviously has prioritised innovation and development in regulated industries such as pharma, healthcare, finance and insurance. These differentiated offerings have helped the agency capture a slice of the rapidly growing U.S. influencer market, estimated to have been worth $5 billion in 2022 (eMarketer). 

Mae Karwowski, CEO of Obviously, said: “Obviously’s ability to match each client’s unique needs while delivering at a global scale has made us a leader in influencer marketing. Our unique approach to creator-led marketing combined with our proprietary technology has resulted in explosive growth. This acquisition is the best of both worlds; we retain our agile and entrepreneurial culture while benefiting from VMLY&R’s depth of experience and global scale - resulting in accelerated growth for all. We couldn’t be more excited to join the WPP network.” 

Jon Cook, CEO of VMLY&R, added: “Bringing Obviously into our VMLY&R family is a clear win as clients demand more intelligent data and results in the influencer space. Obviously’s tech and data capabilities are highly innovative, and its ability to scale creator content quickly and efficiently, and in every language, makes it instantly prepared to be leveraged globally. I’m elated to start working with Mae, Max and the entire Obviously team. We’re excited for what’s to come and the many creative opportunities we’ll unlock together for our client partners.” 

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “The creator economy has experienced huge growth in recent years, and it plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour. The Obviously team brings an exceptional range of global influencer marketing capabilities and a world-class technology platform that will further strengthen our offer to clients.”