The Goat Agency

The Goat Agency, founded in 2015 by Arron Shepherd, Nick Cooke, and Harry Hugo, operates as a global social media and influencer marketing agency. The founders, who previously worked together at a sports social networking startup, identified the potential of influencer marketing and aimed to establish a data-driven, performance-oriented agency. This approach has been central to the company's philosophy, treating influencer marketing as a scalable media channel rather than a PR function.

The firm's business model is centered on delivering full-service, end-to-end influencer marketing campaigns for its clients, which include major brands like Dell, Tesco, Uber, and Meta. Goat distinguishes itself by guaranteeing campaign results, such as clicks and engagements, at a fixed price. This is achieved by leveraging a proprietary CRM system that houses extensive performance data from thousands of influencers, allowing for informed, unbiased selection. Revenue is generated by managing these large-scale campaigns for blue-chip corporations and fast-growing direct-to-consumer companies. In 2021, the company received a growth capital investment from Inflexion, and by August 2022, it was on track to reach $100 million in revenues.

A significant milestone occurred in March 2023 when WPP acquired The Goat Agency for an undisclosed sum. Following the acquisition, Goat merged with GroupM's existing influencer marketing solution, INCA, to create a scaled global agency with over 300 employees across more than 30 markets. The combined entity operates under the Goat brand as part of GroupM Nexus. The agency's services have expanded beyond just influencer partnerships to include social media strategy, paid media activation, content production, and social media management across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. They pioneered running paid media through influencers' own channels to amplify content reach authentically.

Keywords: influencer marketing agency, social media marketing, performance-based marketing, data-driven campaigns, global advertising, creator economy, paid media activation, social media strategy, brand partnerships, content creator marketing, digital advertising, WPP, GroupM, Arron Shepherd, Nick Cooke, Harry Hugo, social commerce, campaign management, creator amplification, full-service social media