Accenture is buying Whalar, one of the leading creator and social agencies on the market, and folding it into Accenture Song, the marketing arm of the global consultancy giant. Whalar Group co-founder Neil Waller called the deal the largest in the history of the creator economy in his announcement on LinkedIn.
What Accenture is buying
“Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire Whalar, a leading creator and social agency, from Whalar Group,” reads the press release of 8 June. According to it, Whalar ran creator campaigns worth more than $600 million over its ten years of operation, across more than 40 countries and 15 languages. The agency has over 170 people in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany and Spain. Co-CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk stay on after the acquisition and move into Accenture Song.
The deal value has not been disclosed, and closing is subject to standard conditions. Whalar Group is entering a three-year strategic partnership with Accenture Song focused on the creator economy.
What Accenture Song is after with this purchase
“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 Ndidi Oteh, CEO of Accenture Song, in the press release. According to Accenture, Whalar will connect creator work with corporate data, commercial tools and AI, and move clients from one-off campaigns to long-term collaboration with creators, as Adweek reports.
The Whalar purchase follows Accenture Song’s earlier acquisitions. In 2024 it bought the agency Unlimited, and in 2025 the social agency Superdigital.
What remains at Whalar Group
Whalar Group was founded ten years ago by Neil Waller and James Street. After the agency is sold, more than 250 people in five divisions will remain in the group, according to Waller’s post. “Creators aren't a channel. They are the foundation of modern media, shaping culture, building communities, and redefining how value is created,” Waller wrote. The agency has won Adweek’s Creator Agency of the Year and Ad Age’s A-List Social Media/Influencer Agency of the Year awards.
Consultancies and holding companies in the creator economy
Accenture is not the only large company buying a creator agency. In 2024 Publicis Groupe bought the influencer platform Influential for about $500 million. As a consultancy, Accenture is thus folding work with creators directly into the wider services it offers brands.
In an April 2023 report, Goldman Sachs estimated the size of the creator economy at around $250 billion, adding that it could approach $480 billion by 2027. Growth is driven by influencer marketing and direct payouts to creators from platforms. Specialist services that brands previously bought from external agencies are moving into large groups.
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