NEW YORK—Ketchum is creating a new specialist influencer marketing division, Emanate, that will combine the firm’s existing expertise in areas such as creator partnerships, celebrity sponsorships, and branded entertainment into a dedicated capability that will help brands “make the right kinds of waves” with creators and consumers.

“Emanate is a direct response to the increasing needs of our clients who are seeking ways to smartly and safely incorporate social influencers, entertainment properties, and celebrities into their strategic communications plans,” said Jim Joseph, Ketchum’s US chief executive.

Rob Bernstein, the firm’s chief innovation officer (pictured), added that Ketchum’s influencer marketing business had enjoyed double digit growth in the past two years, and that “when it comes to influencer marketing, the company you keep is everything. With our datas capability, our expertise in sports and branded entertainment, and the ability of a PR agency to bring risk assessment to every assignment, we feel that a specialist division makes sense.”

Emanate will be led by Danielle Hallas, head of entertainment; Laura Konopack, head of influencer; and Tommy Ringhofer, head of celebrity & music.

Emanate will offer clients:

  • Intelligent influence identification: an audience-first approach that taps into Ketchum’s data solutions to predict and rank top-performing influencers;
  • brand reputation safety: A system leveraging technology and human review to vet influencers’ historical posts and surface red flags before they become brand safety issues;
  • Talent and entertainment expertise: In-house talent and branded entertainment capabilities to negotiate competitive terms for celebrities, musicians, brand sponsorships, and more;
  • On-demand creator and user-generated content: A community of thousands of social media makers for near real-time social assets, strengthened by an AI-powered content optimization engine’
  • Full-funnel measurement: A sophisticated analytics platform, enabling full-funnel attribution, from measures of awareness to conversion.

To mark the launch, Emanate will host a pop-up at South by Southwest on Monday. The “Emanate Lounge” is a private space will allow guests an opportunity to capture SXSW content; refuel and recharge; and connect with Emanate leadership.

The new operation revives the Emanate brand, originally a consumer-oriented conflict brand that merged with sister agency Access Communications in 2015.