• by Fern Siegel , June 10, 2022

We Are Social, a social creative agency, has acquired a majority stake in influencer-marketing agency Kobe, growing its position in the region and further strengthening its offering in that area.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kobe, which says its delivered influencer marketing to over 500 brands, is based in Singapore.

Founded in 2016, Kobe collaborates with celebrities and influencers, pushing influencer marketing cross-platform. It has worked for an array of regional clients, including PepsiCo, Logitech, Suntory, United Overseas Bank, and local Singapore clients, such as Suntec City and Genki Sushi Singapore.

The agency will continue to exist as an independent brand, led by Evangeline Leong, founder-CEO, and co-founder Cha Lin. But it will utilize We Are Social’s global ecosystem and share its influencer-marketing expertise with the network. Leong reports to Christina Chong, CEO of We Are Social Singapore.

Citing We Are Social's leadership in social media, Leong said the alliance will “supercharge Kobe with data, insights, strategy and creative expertise,” creating opportunities for Kobe clients.

Nathan McDonald, co-founder-Group CEO at We Are Social, said the acquisition “shows our intention to harness more opportunities in southeast Asia.”

Following the acquisition of Mideast social-media agency Socialize in 2018, the Kobe acquisition marks an ongoing strategy for We Are Social’s to accelerate the network's growth with key worldwide acquisitions.

We Are Social, part of Plus Company, has worked with adidas, Samsung, Netflix and Google. 

Plus Company agency brands include We Are Social and its sister agencies, Socialize, Hello and Metta, fuseproject, All Inclusive Marketing (AIM), Aperture1, Camp Jefferson, Citizen Relations, Cossette, Cossette Media, Eleven, Gene, Impact Research, Jungle Media, K72, KOO Creative, Level11, Magic Circle Workshop, Magnet, Middle Child, PathIQ, Septième, and The Narrative Group (TNG). The corporation is represented across 12 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.