We Are Social: our full review 2026

We Are Social celebrated 15 years of presence in France in 2025. The French agency, based at 45-47 rue des Vinaigriers in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, is among the pioneers of social media in France. It supported major international brands in their transition to social networks while most traditional agencies still viewed Facebook as an experimental channel.

This head start allowed We Are Social France to build deep cultural expertise in the French market, setting it apart from international agencies that manage the French market from their London or New York offices.

One of We Are Social's most distinctive assets is its integrated production studio, We Are Social Studios. This studio produces content specifically designed to perform on social platforms: hooks optimized for TikTok, carousel formats for Instagram, long-form content for YouTube, visuals and copy adapted to each local culture.

This in-house production capability allows We Are Social to control the entire creator value chain, from editorial strategy to final content production, without dependence on the timelines and rates of external providers.

Every year, We Are Social publishes the "Global Digital" report, a comprehensive analysis of social and digital usage worldwide. This report is cited in thousands of articles, presentations and sector studies every year. It positions We Are Social as a unique thought leadership player in the sector: the agency does not just run campaigns, it documents and analyzes the market.

This thought leader posture reinforces the agency's credibility with major brands looking for a strategic partner, not just an executor.

We Are Social was built on a conviction that very few agencies embrace: the best advertising is not the most seen, but the one people talk about on their own. This philosophy pushes the agency toward campaigns that generate organic conversation, spread beyond paid reach and leave a lasting cultural imprint.

This explains the nature of its client portfolio: Adidas, Google, Lego, TikTok, Netflix are brands that invest in culture, not just visibility. They need an agency that understands the digital culture of each market, not an executor that rolls out templates.

We Are Social's presence in six European countries (London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Berlin, Amsterdam) allows major brands to manage their social presence across Europe with a single partner, a single strategy and cross-market creative consistency.

This model is particularly valued by brands that have suffered from the fragmentation of their campaigns across multiple local agencies without consistency.

We Are Social is recognized for its social impact measurement methodologies. The agency does not settle for reach and engagement metrics: it develops attribution models that link social performance to its clients' business objectives (share of voice, assisted awareness, purchase intent, conversions).

Creator and culture expertise. 18 years of expertise understanding the social codes of each European market. An ability to produce culturally grounded campaigns.

Integrated production studio. Content natively adapted to each platform, produced in-house with the same quality standards for all markets.

Sector thought leadership. The "Global Digital" report and public positioning establish the agency as an intellectual reference in the sector, not just an executor.

Dense multi-European presence. Six European offices with native local teams.

Large agency structure. With 1,300 people and 19 offices, We Are Social is a large structure that can lack agility on very specific briefs or budgets below 100,000 euros.

Acquisition by Bain Capital. In 2024, We Are Social was bought by Bain Capital as part of a transaction that separated it from Lerer Hippeau and other previous investors. The consequences of this transition on agency culture and strategic priorities should be monitored.

For Adidas, We Are Social turned product campaigns into cultural moments by connecting shoe launches to the urban, musical and sports subcultures that carry them. This cultural intelligence approach, which grounds each piece of content in an authentic cultural context, is the agency's creative signature.

Being TikTok's agency is a delicious paradox: managing the social presence of the platform that has reshaped the market. This mandate requires very deep knowledge of the platform's internal mechanisms and an ability to communicate on TikTok natively and credibly, without the condescension tech brands sometimes adopt toward their own users.

Since 2009, the "Global Digital" report published annually by We Are Social has become the world reference for data on digital and social usage. Its 16th edition in 2026 covers more than 200 countries with data on time spent on social networks, platform penetration, content consumption habits and online purchase behaviors. This report is cited in thousands of presentations, studies and articles every year. It positions We Are Social as the agency that understands digital best in the world, not just as a campaign executor.