SGAG parent company Hepmil sold to French Publicis Groupe for undisclosed fee

Established in 2015, Hepmil has a network of over 3,000 creators with a total reach exceeding 1 billion in six South-east Asian markets

Advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe announced on Wednesday (Oct 29) that it is acquiring Singapore-based Hepmil Media Group, the parent company of home-grown meme-page SGAG.

The valuation of the deal was undisclosed.

Besides SGAG, Hepmil also started other regional spinoffs such as MGAG and PGAG, which target audiences in Malaysia and the Philippines.

Established in 2015, the company has a network of more than 3,000 creators, which serves over 450 brands and has a total reach exceeding one billion in six South-east Asian markets.

Founded by junior college friends Karl Mak and Adrian Ang, the company currently employs more than 300 people.

The deal will combine Hepmil with Publicis’ data, specifically Epsilon’s identity graph of over 800 million consumer profiles in South-east Asia.

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The goal is to cement the group’s leadership in identity-driven influencer marketing in a key region for clients that is increasingly taking a social-first approach, the group noted.

Arthur Sadoun, chairman and chief executive officer of Publicis Groupe, noted: “We’re doubling down on data-driven creator marketing in what is a highly strategic region for Publicis and our clients.”

The company noted that influencer marketing is set to grow between 12 and 15 per cent in South-east Asia over the next five years, with influencer marketing spend likely to exceed US$1.4 billion by 2030.