Aufeminin : Acquisition of a majority stake in Ykone, top player in influencer marketing

aufeminin announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Ykone, top player in influencer marketing

Paris, 26 April 2018 - 6:30 pm CEST - Groupe aufeminin (ISIN: FR0004042083, Ticker: FEM), 1st creator of communities, announces today the acquisition of a majority stake in Ykone, top player in influencer marketing.

The merge between aufeminin and Ykone is the first major acquisition in the field of influencer marketing.

In a constantly evolving digital environment, the complementary expertise of the two players will give birth to a world leader, capable of supporting brands in the deployment of increasingly ambitious campaigns.

Founded in Paris in 2008 by Olivier Billon, Ykone brings together 50 social media experts, creative consultants and data engineers in Paris, Dubai, Berlin, London, Copenhagen, New York and Bangalore to deploy social media campaigns in over 35 countries.

Beyond an average growth of 35% per year, Ykone has grown on all continents: "Ykone is dedicated to marketing influence and we are able to activate influencers on every continent," says Olivier Billon, founding president. "Ykone is the only creative and technological platform that can meet the needs of brands that want to collaborate with the most powerful and inspiring influencers in the world."

According to Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon, president of aufeminin Group: "This acquisition will be a unique opportunity to develop innovative synergies between aufeminin and Ykone, for the greater benefit of the customers. It symbolizes the continuous evolution of the aufeminin group which is now orienting its growth in the development of e-commerce. Beyond the exceptional exposure that the first female media in the world already provides, this acquisition will allow even more ROI-oriented campaigns. Bringing together emblematic brands like My LittleParis and Ykone will allow the development of unique and innovative offers."

In recent years, influencer marketing has become a key strategy for brands to emerge online. Since 2008 Ykone already initiated the first influencer projects and accompanied the biggest brands in their digital strategies. Today, Ykone's vision has become a reality and the agency supports the expansion of a boiling market. Some of Ykone's most important projects now cost millions of euros and achieve hundreds of millions of views.

Campaygn, Ykone's proprietary tool, analyzes in real time the content and community of over 15,000 influencer profiles in 96 countries, with 4.5 billion followers. Nearly 7 million posts are analyzed, more than 2,500 brands are tagged in real time. As a result, Ykone can

identify the most relevant influencers to customer goals at any time, anywhere in the world, and deploy targeted campaigns with good return on investment.

Since its creation, Ykone has supported the largest groups in the fashion, beauty and luxury sector. Brands such as Richemont, LVMH, Clarins, L'Oreal, Estée Lauder, Coty, and Kering, have all trusted Ykone to develop their influencer marketing campaigns. On behalf of its prestigious clients, the agency has won numerous awards in 2017 for achievements, including Cartier, Le Bon Marché and Moët & Chandon.

Thanks to the support of the aufeminin group, Ykone expects to triple their income by 2020 by strengthening their international expansion, particularly in the major European markets where aufeminin is already firmly established.

Details of the operation

While TF1 has just obtained authorization from the French Competition Authority to buy Axel Springer, aufeminin is continuing to expand.

At the end of this transaction, aufeminin will acquire 75% of Ykone's capital, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is financed by equity. The remaining capital, held by Olivier Billon, the founder of Ykone, is subject to sales and purchase commitments exercisable at a price based on performance over the period 2018 - 2021.

About aufeminin

1st creator of communities, the Groupe aufeminin provides an editorial and community-based offer covering mainly : Fashion, Beauty, Parenthood, Cooking, News, Entertainment, etc.

With media brands such as aufeminin, Marmiton, My Little Paris, Merci Alfred, Onmeda, Zimbio.com, Livingly.com and Stylebistro.com, the Group is present in more than 20 countries in Europe, North Africa, North America and Latin America.

The Groupe's presence is gaining momentum on all platforms such as mobile, videos and social networks and strengthens its diversification strategy through ecommerce, programmatic and brand publishing pillars.

My Little box :https://www.mylittlebox.fr/ Gambettes box :https://www.gambettesbox.fr/ Loom:https://www.loom.fr/

Edie & Watson :https://www.edie-et-watson.com/ Gretel box :https://www.gretel-box.com/

Beautiful Box by aufeminin :https://www.beautiful-box.com/

The Groupe aufeminin, which is 78.31% owned by the Axel Springer group, is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004042083, Ticker: FEM). In 2017, the Group recorded revenue of €113.5 million and an EBITDA of €21.3 million.

http://corporate.aufeminin.com

Contacts

NewCap

Relations investisseurs : Mathilde Bohin / Marc [e-mail]

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