MediaMonks acquires influencer agency IMA

S4 Capital’s MediaMonks has acquired European influencer agency IMA for an undisclosed sum.

The shop, which was founded in 2010 by Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts, has 85 staff and is based in Amsterdam.

IMA’s clients include Pernod Ricard, Under Armour, Beiersdorf, Heineken and Booking.com. The agency says it has a network of 40,000 influencers.

Tabor, Raedts and IMA’s chief executive Anneke Schogt are all understood to be continuing to work at the agency.

Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of S4 Capital, said: "This merger is yet another example of our focus on topline growth. Influencer marketing is an important sub-set of the digital content marketing industry and is predicted to double in size over the next three years.

"Emilie, Maddie and Anneke are also great examples of female entrepreneurs, who are building successful digital businesses. They will bring an added dimension to both MediaMonks and S4Capital."

S4 Capital pointed out that the influencer industry is set to be worth up to $15bn by 2022. This figure is cited from Business Insider Intelligence estimates, based on Mediakix data.

Victor Knaap, chief executive of MediaMonks, said: "IMA has been at the forefront as this industry has started to come of age. We look forward to working with its entrepreneurial team in developing how powerful influencers can be as part of a digital marketing strategy.

"MediaMonks’ scale and digital creativity – enhanced by our global content studios for fashion, beauty and food – together with a worldwide network of specialised influencers from IMA, makes a powerful tool for any brand."