Walee Technologies Pvt., a Pakistani company that connects social media influencers with businesses, has bought Mirrorr.com in the United Arab Emirates, paving the path for expansion into the Middle East and North Africa.
The acquisition comes as businesses and brands transfer their advertising budgets online, including to social media influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. According to Najib Sabbagh, head of the MENA region at Walee, brands are adjusting their strategy to cater to young consumers who make decisions based on trusted social profiles rather than company communication.
Samsung Electronics Inc. and Reckitt Benckiser Group LLC, for example, use the startup as a marketplace to locate and pay influencers to promote their products. In Pakistan, Walee has over 100,000 influencers, including rapper and comedian Ali Gul Pir and online celebrity Waliya Najib.
According to a release, the acquisition provides the company with an AI-driven analytics solution that detects and analyzes brands and trademarks in the content shared on social media networks.
