Influential Taps Execs From Top Havas, OMD

Top executives are claiming their territory in the creator economy by trading in positions at brands and traditional agencies for influencer marketing companies. Grey Group’s Alex Morrison joined Pearpop last month and Whalar just poached three top C-suite members from Hasbro, Snapchat and Spotify. Influential is now the latest in the game to snag new talent—Andrea Millett leaves Havas Media Group to become chief operations officer, Katherine Rae leaves Virtual Health to take the head of people role and Latarria Coy departs OMD USA to become head of ethical media. “After more than 20 years on the agency side, it felt like it was time to embark on a new chapter,” said Millett. Influential CEO Ryan Detert stressed that the new hires are a “testament to the up-leveling of our industry and our company.” The 9-figure agency, which holds most fortune 500 companies as clients, saw 150% revenue growth last year. Detert predicts even more explosion in the space, as social media ad spend is predicted to exceed TV spend for the first time in 2022. Influential’s client roster includes NFL, NBA, Pepsico and Wells Fargo. “We know exactly how brands need to allocate resources into a social platform and creator campaign,” said Detert, who launched his company in 2013 and was one of the first players in the space. “Time mixed with experience and results has given us a leg up over these past nine years.” Crafting ethical culture, media Head of people and head of ethical media are both new positions for the company—and Detert emphasized that it is important for Influential to build up DEI both internally and externally, which are efforts that will be managed by Rae and Coy. “We believe that every company in the coming years will have a head of ethical media,” he said. “How do you think about not just the internal composition of your company, but the external media?” In 2021, 90% of Influential campaigns included diverse creators, 50% included a majority of diverse creators and 20% exclusively featured them. Detert said that in 2022, the agency’s biggest task will be to create an even more equitable income pipeline from top companies to influencers. To support diverse creators, Coy is spearheading relationships with diverse media companies and launching a Diverse Creator Audit, which assesses and consults brand clients on the inclusion level of their campaigns. “I was attracted to Influential's belief that it's our responsibility to be a force for good in the social media ecosystem,” she said. “So often, growth can get in the way of company values, but Influential was investing effort and resources into diverse creators in meaningful ways.” How Shutterstock Kept Up With Content Demands and Hired More Diverse Creators

Influencers & Creators

Influential Hires Execs From Havas and OMD as It Crosses the 9-Figure Mark for Revenue

The influencer marketing agency is focusing on ethical media

Emmy Liederman

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Emmy Liederman