News UK – the publisher of The Sun, The Times, and The Sunday Times – has launched its own full-service influencer marketing agency aimed at telling brand stories creatively with the backing of verified audience data.

The agency, called ‘The Fifth, has been setup to offer talent identification and management, storytelling strategy, creative production, cross media amplification, and events.

“Influencer marketing is one of the most exciting and fast-growing areas in brand communication. But the space is still in its infancy and with any industry in rapid growth, challenges persist,” said Oliver Lewis, managing director and founder of The Fifth. “Brands require more support identifying the right talent, building longer-term partnerships, authenticating their background, proving meaningful ROI and delivering authentic and diverse stories.”

Rather than segmenting influencers into micro, macro, and celebrity categories, The Fifth has instead identified ‘nine faces of influence’ to help brands connect with the right people to represent them. These faces are: The Artist, The Humourist, The Collective, The Enthusiast, The Tastemaker, The Journalist, The Expert, The Host, and The Cosmopolitan.

“The Fifth helps brands elevate influencer marketing into multi-channel campaigns,” said Lewis. “We believe in a human-first approach to talent identification. We immerse ourselves in cultural trends and we build connections with the tribes defining them to help brands join the conversation at the right time and in the most genuine way.”

The Fifth is partnering with CORQ, an influencer intelligence platform, for its talent selection strategy and will also work with the business to ‘discover, nurture, and invest’ in the next wave of social talent.