# Obviously

> Obviously is a New York influencer-marketing agency built on its own software and data platform. Founded in 2014 by Mae Karwowski, it runs large-scale creator campaigns for brands like Google, Amazon, Coca-Cola and Lyft - matching companies with the right influencers, producing the content, and measuring what actually moves. It scaled without venture capital and was acquired by advertising giant WPP in March 2023, where it now operates inside VML.

- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Mae Karwowski (Founder & CEO), Maxime Domain (Co-founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~90-100 employees at acquisition (offices in New York, San Francisco and Paris)
- **Products:** Influencer Identification & Vetting, Campaign Management & Execution, Studio Dashboard (Reporting & Analytics), Custom Creator Networks, Share of Influence
- **Notable:** Acquired by WPP in March 2023 (one of two influencer agencies WPP bought that week), Grew to ~100 employees and roughly 5 billion organic impressions without ever raising venture capital, Inc. 5000: No. 1,217 (2021) and No. 3,703 (2022)

## Products & services

- **Influencer Identification & Vetting** — A proprietary platform reportedly spanning roughly 5 million creators, used to match brands with the right influencers from nano/micro accounts up to 100M-follower celebrities.
- **Campaign Management & Execution** — End-to-end management of large-scale influencer campaigns - outreach, relationship management, content production and delivery.
- **Studio Dashboard (Reporting & Analytics)** — Real-time reporting on campaign performance, impressions and content output.
- **Custom Creator Networks** — Brand-exclusive influencer communities that give the brand first-party data ownership over its creator relationships.
- **Share of Influence** — AI-driven reporting on competitor influencer spend and content trends.
- **UGC for Commerce & Amazon Influencer Programs** — Repurposing creator content for retail and social commerce, including Amazon storefronts and live shopping.

## Achievements

- Acquired by WPP in March 2023 (one of two influencer agencies WPP bought that week)
- Grew to ~100 employees and roughly 5 billion organic impressions without ever raising venture capital
- Inc. 5000: No. 1,217 (2021) and No. 3,703 (2022)
- Mae Karwowski won the Campaign Female Frontier Award and Adweek Fastest Growing Agency recognition (2019)
- Reported 13+ industry awards over five years
- Mae Karwowski is a widely cited industry expert (NYT, WSJ, Financial Times, NPR, CNBC, Washington Post) and a Forbes Agency Council member

## Latest updates

- **2023-03** — WPP acquires Obviously and folds it into VMLY&R (now VML); deal terms undisclosed.
- **2024-07** — Karwowski speaks at Cannes Lions on Amazon influencer marketing and the future of creator-led commerce.
- **2026-05** — Featured in Marketing Brew on the state of creator marketing; continues as Founder/CEO of Obviously within VML.

## Links

- Website: https://www.obvious.ly/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/obviously-social
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/obviouslysocial
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obviouslysocial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/obviouslysocial/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@obviouslysocial

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/obviously
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-20