WPP invests in Fatherly in US

Fatherly’s advertising and branded-content clients include Johnson & Johnson, Mattel and the New York Life Insurance Company.

Founded in 2015, it is based in New York and employs approximately 40 people. Other investors in the Series A round include BDMI, the investment arm of Bertelsmann, Crosslink, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, SoftTechVC and the United Talent Agency.

Fatherly has worked with more than 100 brands to date, developing and distributing native advertising, custom videos and custom branded content. It has created franchise series such as ‘940 Weekends’ – a reference to the number of weekends parents have to spend with their children between birth and the age of 18; ‘My Father The…’– a series of interviews with the sons and daughters of famous men; and its upcoming ‘Father of the Year’ awards.

This is the latest of WPP’s investments in technology, data and content.