Publicis Groupe will acquire Singapore-based influencer-marketing and content agency Hepmil Media Group, the agency has announced.
Hepmil serves more than 450 brands with a network of over 3,000 creators and a claimed reach of one billion across six Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam into its operations. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
Arthur Sadoun, chairman & CEO of Publicis, said: “After the acquisition of Influential 18 months ago and Captiv8 earlier this year, … we’re doubling down on data-driven creator marketing in what is a highly strategic region for Publicis and our clients.”
He added that combining Hepmil’s reach, content expertise and social platforms with Publicis’ identity-graph and media ecosystem would build “South East Asia’s first end-to-end influencer solution.”
Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Singapore & Southeast Asia, said Hepmil’s roots in popular creator-led content and its cultural relevance “helped redefine how brands can show up natively, authentically, and with real-time cultural relevance. Now powered by the AI, data and platform prowess of Publicis Groupe, we will ensure every dollar of clients’ social and influence spend is genuine, accountable and in service of growth in Southeast Asia.”
Publicis said combining Hepmil with its data platforms, including Lotame and Epsilon’s identity graph, will strengthen its position in data-driven influencer marketing in Southeast Asia, where brands are shifting to social-first strategies. According to the holdco, its clients will be able to link social strategy, influencer management and data-led content, measure results across platforms and run targeted, brand-safe campaigns to drive growth.
Born in Singapore in 2015, Hepmil’s origins can be traced back to creator-led digital platforms such as SGAG (founded 2012) and sister channels MGAG, PGAG, which the company says reached more than 70 million people in Southeast Asia.
Karl Mak, co-founder and CEO of Hepmil, said: “Hepmil started as a dream in Singapore Management University for Adrian Ang, my co-founder and myself … With an incredible team of over 300 people, the last 10 years have seen this dream become a reality. And today marks the beginning of the next chapter of our acceleration.”
Influencer marketing is a fast-growing segment. A 2024 whitepaper by Vero notes the segment is growing at a compound annual growth rate of about 10.83 % in the next five years.
The acquisition enables Publicis to “unite social and audience strategy, influencer management and data-led content creation,” the group said.
This follows Publicis Singapore’s previous acquisition in January 2024 of Singapore-based integrated communications agency AKA Asia, which worked with a wide variety of consumer brands such as Tiger Beer, Impossible Foods, Lego, Jetstar, Foodpanda, Durex and William Grant & Sons.
In the Publicis model, Hepmil will continue to operate under its own brand and collaborate closely with Publicis teams across Southeast Asia.
