INFLUENCE SPORTS & MEDIA AND POPULATE SOCIAL JOIN MONGOOSE GROUP

Mongoose Group, part of MISSION Group plc, bolsters offering with the acquisition of Influence Sports & Media and Populate Social.

The recently created Mongoose Group, as part of the MISSION Group plc, is growing its sports marketing and social media offerings through the acquisition of Influence Sports & Media and Populate Social. 

Through organic growth and recent acquisitions, Mongoose Group is rapidly developing a fully integrated collective of sports, entertainment and lifestyle Agencies, creating an offering that can deliver for Clients’ needs and drive creativity, scale and tangible results.  

Influence Sports & Media and Populate Social will retain their brands and identities, and form an integral part of the Mongoose Group alongside Mongoose Sports & Entertainment and ALIVE Brand Experience.

Influence Sports & Media, based in London, with a strong presence in the US, is a specialist sports marketing agency that has a prestigious record of working with the world’s leading brands and properties in sport. The agency offers strategic consultancy, commercial sales, partnership activation, PR & communications and content creation. The team has a wealth of experience and long-standing relationships in motor sport, sailing and pro-cycling, bringing expertise from the highest echelons of world sport to the Group – including the flagship events of Formula 1, the America’s Cup and the Tour de France.

Based in Cardiff, Populate’s 20-strong team of social media experts pride themselves on a forward-thinking approach, full transparency, and data-driven results. The agency has a strong track record of pushing boundaries with paid media campaigns, organic social media management, social strategy, content creation, messenger bots and TikTok/social content packages. Clients include England Rugby, Live Nation and Paris Fashion Week amongst many others.

Chris O’Donoghue, CEO at Mongoose Group, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alistair, Dan and the Influence Sports and Populate teams to MISSION and the Mongoose Group as we build our offering for clients globally. Populate will transform our social delivery as part of all our integrated Client campaigns. Influence Sports and Mongoose Sports & Entertainment (MSE) are highly complementary – Influence Sports will lead on all projects ‘on track’ and ‘on water’ and MSE will continue driving on ball sports, outdoor sports, venues and charities.”  

Alistair Watkins, Founder & CEO of Influence Sports & Media, said: “Over the last 10 years we have continued to build our presence in sport, delivering best-in-class services for leading global brands, teams and properties. Formula 1 and the America’s Cup are both key pillars of the agency, and it is a hugely exciting time as both properties are seeing exponential growth and interest around the world. We are delighted to be joining MISSION Group plc and the newly formed Mongoose Group to drive international opportunities and offer a greater breadth of services for all our clients.” 

Dan Simmons, Founder at Populate Social, said: “After seven years of growing Populate I am delighted to have found the right partner with Mongoose Group to elevate the offering and bring our social media specialism to a global roster of brands and rights holders in the world of sports and entertainment.”