The deal will see the two Amsterdam headquartered companies unify and IMA’s staff of around 85 digital experts aid Media Monks in offering its clients access to what it claims is a network of 40,000 influencers internationally.
Nine-year-old IMA was founded by Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts, with chief executive Anneke Schogt joining in 2016. All are understood to be remaining with the agency, whose client list to date has included Pernod Ricard, Under Armour, Beiersdorf, Diesel, Microsoft, Heineken, Samsonite and Booking.com.
S4 Capital chairman Sir Martin Sorrell announced the completion of the deal on his LinkedIn channel this morning (12 August) with the following post:
Sir Martin Sorrell
Executive Chairman at S4 Capital
“A new era, new kind of agency just joined S4’s fast growing family, becoming another example of our focus on top line growth. IMA is one of the world’s first and foremost influencer marketing agencies: an industry that is predicted to double in size over the next three years. I am proud to welcome the IMA Influencer Marketing Agency team led by three fantastic entrepreneurs in Emilie, Maddie and Anneke – and I’m confident they will bring not only success, but a new way to connect brands to their audiences via our content operations at MediaMonks.”
In a statement, Sorrell said: “This merger is yet another example of our focus on top-line 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 Media Monks and S4 Capital”
Victor Knaap, chief executive of Media Monks, added: “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. Media Monks’ 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.”
Media Monks itself became a part of S4 Capital in July 2018 and has since expanded its reach into APAC with an office opening in Singapore earlier this year.
