Accenture’s acquisition of Whalar brings a global consulting firm into the creator economy

Accenture is making a big move in the creator economy. The global consulting firm, which reported $18 billion of quarterly revenue during Q2 2026, has announced its acquisition of the creator and social agency Whalar.

The deal is for the eponymous agency under the umbrella of Whalar Group, the creator company that reached a $400 million valuation after securing a strategic investment last year. Whalar’s agency, which will be incorporated into the Accenture Song marketing division, is one of several firms that plays the matchmaker between creators and brands.

To acquire that business, Accenture paid an undisclosed sum. Whalar Group Co-Founder Neil Waller told Adweek that the deal is the “largest creator economy transaction” to date. That likely means Accenture acquired Whalar for at least $500 million, since that’s the price Publicis Groupe paid to pick up influencer agency Influential in 2024.

The Publicis-Influential deal sparked a feeding frenzy in the creator economy. As legacy brands sought pieces of an industry that attracted $37 billion of annual ad spend in 2025, they acquired companies that could connect them to that space. Buyers like Skybound and gen.video paid millions for digital-native firms as part of an M&A spree that included more than 50 deals in all.

Accenture’s entry into the creator economy will allow it to unite its tech and measurement solutions with an expert firm that has executed thousands of multiplatform influencer campaigns. Whalar co-CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk will retain their roles post acquisition, with Whalar’s 170+ person team joining Accenture Song.

“The creator economy demands a new kind of expertise, one that blends authentic creator relationships, deep platform knowledge, and the technology to activate both at enterprise scale,” said Accenture Song Global Marketing Practice Lead Dimitri Maex in a statement. “Bringing Whalar into Accenture Song lets us pair creator authenticity with the intelligence and scale to deliver work that’s not just produced but felt.”

Whalar Group, the previous parent company of Whalar, will continue to work with its former subsidiary thanks to a three-year strategic partnership with Accenture Song. Whalar Group will continue to operate other businesses as well; it is a big name in IRL creator events thanks to its Lighthouse brand, and it acquired management firm Sixteenth amid the aforementioned creator economy spending spree of the mid-2020s.

The agency that once served as the Whalar Group flagship is now set up for a new era of innovation. In a joint statement, Harman and Cronk alluded to “the next chapter in the creator revolution,” which they plan to author as part of the Accenture Song team.