One of the leading international influencer marketing agencies, YKONE, has announced that it has acquired a majority stake of 70% in the Indian Content and Influencer Marketing agency- Barcode.
With this strategic move, both the agencies will be able to leverage their respective strengths, resources, and expertise to seize new business opportunities and adapt to the evolving developments in the international influencer marketing landscape.
Founded in 2008, YKONE first launched with their headquarters in Paris and expanded its presence to 18 of the world’s most important cities, including Hong Kong, Dubai and Milan amongst others.
Over the past more than a decade’s time, the agency has established itself as one of the international leaders in the influencer marketing space, pioneering and pursuing increasingly ambitious campaigns for brands such as Hugo Boss, Chopard, Prada, Estée Lauder, Ferragamo, Nespresso, etc. in the luxury, beauty, fashion and travel sectors, and more recently in the FMCG market.
After early and successful influencer marketing campaigns involving some of India’s biggest Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone for Chopard and Priyanka Chopra for Experience Abu Dhabi, YKONE’s acquisition of Barcode is a strategic move that aligns with the growing opportunities in the Indian influencer market.
It’s a no-brainer that over the past couple years, India’s luxury market has emerged as one of the fastest-growing luxury markets in the world. So much so that even Bain & Company in one of its reports suggested that by 2030, the luxury market in India could reach a staggering $200 billion.
With India’s massive social media audience of over 500 million people and Barcode’s talent management branch- Click Media, representing more than 20 famous Indian influencers and actors including Rohit Zinjurke and Karishma Sharma, the acquisition not only adds significant value to YKONE’s portfolio and enhances their ability to connect brands with high-profile influencers in the Indian market but also creates a platform for brands and creators to be part of the next big global journey.
Commenting on the development, Olivier Billon, Founder and CEO, YKONE, stated, “The acquisition of Barcode Agency is a significant step for YKONE and its international expansion. YKONE already had a presence in India with an office in Bangalore since 2017. With the addition of Barcode’s operations in India, YKONE’s reach in the country and the broader Asia-Pacific region expands even further.”
To this, Rahul Khanna, CEO, Barcode, added, “We express our heartfelt appreciation to our customers and collaborators in India. This acquisition empowers us to provide worldwide services to our Indian clientele while simultaneously promoting India’s unique narrative globally. We are very proud to join forces YKONE’s talented teams. My ambition with Olivier is to achieve worldwide supremacy in the field of Influencer Marketing. We are happy to introduce CAMPAYGN to the Indian market. This innovative tool shall help fill the gap of Indian customers planning their content & social commerce strategy with Barcode and YKONE.”
