The U.K. division of publishing giant Hearst has announced its first-ever in-house Influence Network, formed in collaboration with London-based digital talent agency Sixteenth.
The influencer network will seek to grow Hearst U.K.’s social footprint — by harnessing Sixteenth’s expertise to bolster its own editorial talent and brands online. It will also bring additional influencer marketing expertise into existing marketing divisions at the company, including Hearst Live, which is dedicated to live events and licensing ventures (including Country Living sofas and hotels, Esquire apparel, and Men’s Health gym equipment).
As the core component of the pact, Hearst U.K. and Sixteenth are launching Hearst Academy — a venture that will provide training and development services for nearly 1,000 influencers. Sixteenth, for its part, already reps the likes of fitness influencer Carly Rowena (163,000 followers), body positivity activist Lucy Mountain (321,000 followers), and sustainability and fashion creator Signe Hansen (66,300 followers). All told, The Academy will work with influencers across myriad content genres like health, wellness, beauty, food, and fashion.
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“By more effectively leveraging our extraordinary editorial talent, we can provide an antidote to the increasingly apparent and significant issues associated with influencer marketing generally,” Hearst U.K.’s CEO and president of Europe, James Wildman, said in a statement. “Our editors and media brands are the original ‘influencers’ and represent to marketers the rare combination of reach, trust, and influence.”
Hearst U.K publishes titles like Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping locally. The company says it reaches upwards of 20 million unique digital users in the U.K.
