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Viacom has agreed to acquire social platform WhoSay in a move to increase its influencer marketing capabilities.
The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, comes nearly eight years after CAA helped to launch the company alongside founder and CEO Steve Ellis. At the time, WhoSay focused on providing actors, musicians and artists with an easier way to upload photos to social media services such as Twitter and Facebook, while also retaining the rights to the images. Tom Hanks was one of the first big names to join the platform and others, including Jim Carrey and Eva Longoria, soon followed.
Over the years, WhoSay’s business has evolved into one focused on influencer marketing. Today, the New York- and Los Angeles-based company works with brands to help them tap into the audience of influencers. WhoSay says that it has worked on over 400 campaigns that have generated over 5 billion impressions and 800 million video views.
Viacom has been working with WhoSay for the last two years on various branded campaigns. Through the deal, the media conglomerate will add WhoSay’s sales force, infrastructure and offerings to its linear, digital and mobile advertising capabilities.
WhoSay will continue to operate out of separate offices and work in collaboration with Viacom’s marketing and partner solutions group, Viacom Velocity and the new digital studios unit run by Kelly Day.
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