Marketing & Advertising Acquisitions in California

Shamrock Capital, via its Clover Fund I, LP, has acquired Mutiny, a Los Angeles–based creative agency focused on connecting global publishers and brands with gaming audiences. Mutiny was acquired from Trailer Park Group and will operate as a standalone business under Shamrock, pursuing organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Custom Logos, a San Diego-based promotional products distributor, has acquired Builder Promotions, a Del Mar marketing and promotional-products distributor serving the homebuilding and homebuying market. Builder Promotions will operate as "Builder Promotions Powered by Custom Logos," expanding Custom Logos' capabilities and presence in the homebuilder marketing sector; financial terms were not disclosed.

Domaine Worldwide, a global Shopify design and development practice backed by BV Investment Partners, has acquired Pattern, an award-winning digital design agency focused on commerce brands. The acquisition combines Pattern’s brand and experience design capabilities with Domaine’s engineering and delivery operations to expand experience-first digital commerce offerings; terms were not disclosed.

Humanz announced a $15 million funding round and the strategic acquisitions of Ubiquitous and Bambassadors to accelerate its AI product roadmap and expand capabilities in the creator economy. The deals broaden Humanz's U.S. footprint and add UGC and performance-marketing technology to its influencer-marketing platform.

Pattern Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRN) has acquired NextWave, a Los Angeles-based TikTok commerce agency that specializes in creator-led product discovery, TikTok Shop operations, live selling, and affiliate acceleration. The deal expands Pattern's social commerce and creator capabilities by adding NextWave's TikTok Shop Partner and Creator Affiliate Partner expertise along with a network of managed creators and affiliates.

National CineMedia, Inc. (NCM) has acquired Spotlight Cinema Networks, a U.S. cinema advertising company focused on luxury, art-house and dine-in exhibitors. The acquisition expands NCM's luxury-screen inventory and increases its national market share and presence in key New York and Los Angeles markets, unlocking new advertising and preshow inventory for premium advertisers.

PUSH Media Inc. has acquired SCS (Schiefer Chopshop), marking PUSH's formal expansion into the United States with new offices in Los Angeles and Atlanta and Canadian hubs in Toronto and Ottawa. The acquisition increases PUSH’s scale to more than 65 full-time experts (plus contractors), brings SCS’s creative, influencer and media capabilities into PUSH’s PUSHTech platform, and coincides with the appointment of Julie Berger as President, North America.

Prezent AI acquired Prezentium, the largest business presentation services firm serving life sciences customers, in a cash-plus-equity deal and announced an additional $30M in funding. The round was led by Multiplier Capital, Greycroft and Nomura Strategic Ventures (with participation from several existing investors), valuing Prezent AI at $400M as it pursues an AI-enabled roll-up strategy to combine software and human presentation services.

Rembrand has merged with Spaceback to combine Rembrand's AI virtual product placement technology with Spaceback's creative automation for turning social content into programmatic ads. The unified platform will operate under the Rembrand name and deliver AI-powered creative production and programmatic activation across CTV, digital video and display.

OpenEvidence has acquired Amaro, an AI-native advertising startup founded by Kush and Sauren Khosla and backed by Google Ventures and Greycroft. The deal brings Amaro's team and ad-optimization technology into OpenEvidence to expand its advertising infrastructure and accelerate monetization while scaling its clinical AI platform.

Chandler-based Commit Agency has acquired San Francisco–based Gumas Advertising, the originator of Challenger Brand Marketing. The acquisition adds roughly 10 Gumas team members, brings the Challenger Brand Marketing trademark and capabilities into Commit’s offering, and expands Commit’s national footprint with a San Francisco office.

Harkey Media, an out-of-home (OOH) advertising operator, has acquired Mesa Outdoor, an independent billboard operator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Financing for the transaction was provided by Verde Outdoor Capital, and the deal expands Harkey Media's footprint in northern California as part of its broader roll-up strategy.

Brainlabs has acquired Exverus Media, a Los Angeles-based independent media agency. The acquisition expands Brainlabs' U.S. footprint with a West Coast arm, adds Exverus' full-funnel media planning, programmatic and retail media capabilities, and gives Exverus access to Brainlabs' Cortex AI platform and broader service offerings.

Liftoff, an AI-powered performance marketing platform for the mobile app ecosystem headquartered in Redwood City, California, closed a minority investment from growth investor General Atlantic. The investment, announced May 5, 2025 and closed July 1, 2025, adds General Atlantic alongside existing majority investor Blackstone to support Liftoff’s continued product expansion and long-term growth.

Gemspring Capital Management, through its Gemspring Growth Solutions I fund, has made a strategic growth investment in Residence, a Los Angeles–based global network of creative agencies and platforms. The minority, non-control capital infusion will support Residence’s scaling plans, accelerated M&A, and expansion of its AI-driven creative capabilities across global markets.

Trinity Hunt Partners-backed Herringbone Digital has acquired Hennessey Digital, a Valencia, California-based digital marketing agency serving law firms nationwide. The deal expands Herringbone’s platform into the legal marketing vertical and will allow Hennessey Digital to remain independent under its existing brand while leveraging Herringbone’s platform capabilities and PE support to scale services and AI-enabled offerings.

The Lede Company has acquired Element Brand Group and welcomed founder Heather Leeds Greenfield to join as partner and head of brand partnerships. Greenfield's team, including senior VPs Michael Kutach and Jill Ormand, will join The Lede Company as the acquisition expands Lede's brand partnerships, influencer and integrated marketing capabilities across its Los Angeles and New York offices.

The Shipyard has acquired TinyWins, a global digital feelings studio, to expand its digital, creative, and AI-powered capabilities. TinyWins' founders and leadership will join The Shipyard, and the agency will assume full ownership of TinyWins' team across the U.S. and international markets.

Publicis Groupe has acquired Captiv8, a leading end-to-end influencer marketing platform, to strengthen its connected influencer and social commerce capabilities. Captiv8 — active in 120 countries with a network of ~15 million creators and AI-powered technology — will be integrated within Publicis Connected Media and combined with Influential and Epsilon to build a large-scale, identity‑powered influencer offering.

Ignite Visibility has acquired Rallio, a SaaS platform for social media, listings and reputation management built for franchises and multi-location brands. The acquisition expands Ignite Visibility’s national-to-local technology and service capabilities and is backed by Mountaingate Capital (Ignite’s PE partner), with transaction financing provided by Capital Southwest Corporation.

Brunner, an independent integrated marketing agency, has acquired Rakuten Advertising's Performance Solutions group, including its paid search and programmatic planning and buying teams. The deal transfers performance-marketing talent and client relationships to Brunner, expanding its media, data engineering, and data science capabilities while maintaining an ongoing partnership with Rakuten Advertising.

Liqvd Asia has acquired AdLift, combining Liqvd Asia's creative and omnichannel capabilities with AdLift's SEO and performance-marketing expertise to create an integrated digital marketing agency. AdLift will continue to operate under its brand while the combined entity invests in AI-driven marketing platforms, automation and global expansion to offer end-to-end marketing solutions.

Bully Pulpit International (BPI) has acquired Propper Daley, a culture-first social impact and entertainment philanthropy agency. Propper Daley’s team of 25 will transition to the BPI brand and integrate into BPI’s U.S. operations, expanding BPI’s presence in Los Angeles and Miami and adding culture-driven strategy and influencer networks to BPI’s capabilities.

Supreme Group, a Trinity Hunt-backed platform for life sciences and healthcare marketing, has acquired Kadiko, a San Francisco–based digital-first brand strategy and creative agency. The add-on expands Supreme Group's AI-enhanced insights, digital and brand strategy capabilities to better serve healthcare and life sciences clients.

Ruder Finn, a global integrated communications agency, has acquired Big Sky Communications, a San Jose-based customer marketing and advocacy agency. The deal brings a team of over 40 customer marketing experts to Ruder Finn and expands the agency's B2B storytelling and customer advocacy capabilities.

Publicis Media's U.S. arm has acquired Los Angeles-based performance marketing agency Dysrupt for an undisclosed sum. The deal brings Dysrupt's proprietary Impact Advertising System (IAS) — including media buying, cookieless measurement and AI-enabled creative tools — into Publicis Media to strengthen its performance marketing capabilities.

Supreme Group, a life-sciences marketing platform backed by Trinity Hunt Partners, has acquired Curator24, a San Diego-based marketing and advertising agency serving pharmaceutical, biotech and MedTech clients. Curator24 will operate as a standalone agency within the Supreme Group platform, with founder Shannon Carlson remaining in leadership; the deal expands Supreme Group's healthcare marketing capabilities as it builds a best-in-class platform.

ID5 has acquired TrueData, a US-based identity graph company, and the combined company will operate under the ID5 brand. The deal integrates TrueData’s identity graph with ID5’s Adaptive Identity technology to create a privacy-first, global identity solution for advertisers, publishers and data partners; TrueData executives Scott Conine and Jon Durkee will join ID5’s leadership team. The merged organization will operate with roughly 80 employees across North America, Europe and Asia and significantly strengthens ID5’s presence in the US market.

LoopMe has acquired mobile advertising and monetization platform Chartboost from Zynga (a Take-Two Interactive company). Financial terms were not disclosed; the acquisition expands LoopMe's mobile app footprint, growing its SDK network and strengthening its AI-driven brand advertising and mediation capabilities for app publishers and advertisers.

Axios HQ, an internal communications software company, has acquired Mixing Board, a community and events network for senior communications, brand, and marketing leaders. The deal closed on November 27, 2024; Mixing Board's investors (including Bloomberg Beta, Jim Hock and Rebecca Reeve Henderson) reinvested their proceeds into Axios HQ, and founder Sean Garrett will join Axios HQ as Chief Communications Officer while continuing as President of Mixing Board.

Colangelo & Partners has acquired a majority stake in WineGlass Marketing, a Napa-based digital marketing agency focused on the wine and spirits industry. WineGlass will continue to operate under founder Susan DeMatei while drawing on Colangelo & Partners' PR, branding and trade resources to expand digital capabilities and gain a physical presence in Napa.

Centerfield has acquired Brainjolt, a social commerce platform and digital publisher that curates products and drives e-commerce purchases via Meta, Snap and TikTok. The acquisition adds social commerce capabilities to Centerfield’s Dugout customer-acquisition platform and represents the fifth add-on for Centerfield since its acquisition by Platinum Equity.

Los Angeles-based PromoShop has acquired Del Mar, California-headquartered JR Resources, with all JR employees joining PromoShop and JR rebranding as "JR Resources, a PromoShop Company." Financial terms were not disclosed; the deal is intended to expand PromoShop’s agency-style branded merchandise capabilities and client portfolio.

Minds + Assembly, a PE-backed healthcare communications and commercialization agency, has acquired Awaken Interactive, a healthcare-focused digital marketing firm specializing in digital media, analytics, technical development and marketing automation. The deal is an add‑on to Minds + Assembly’s platform (backed by Amulet Capital Partners) to expand its analytics and digital capabilities for healthcare clients.

OneMagnify, a Crestview Partners‑backed digital experience and marketing platform, has acquired Guidance to expand its eCommerce and digital experience capabilities. Guidance is a commerce services provider that builds customized eCommerce websites, mobile experiences and complex system integrations for B2C and B2B brands; financial terms were not disclosed.

OneMagnify, a Detroit-based data science-driven marketing solutions provider backed by Crestview Partners, has acquired Emodo, an AI-powered, CTV-first programmatic advertising marketplace. The deal brings Emodo's dynamic creative, advanced audience targeting, and AI-driven CTV capabilities into OneMagnify's suite while allowing Emodo to operate as a separate company.

Insignia Capital Group has acquired two audio and creator-based advertising agencies, Oxford Road and Veritone One, combining them to form a leading global podcast and creator-based media entity. Veritone One (the media agency business of Veritone, Inc.) was sold for up to $104 million (including up to $18 million in earn-out), while terms for Oxford Road were not disclosed; both agencies will operate independently near-term with plans to integrate to deliver scale, data capabilities, and creator-led advertising services.

MINDS + ASSEMBLY has acquired HashtagHealth, a specialist healthcare social media agency, which will operate as a fully integrated division led by co-founders Brittany Latson and Kristin Hassan. The acquisition expands MINDS + ASSEMBLY's social media capabilities and deepens its healthcare commercialization platform, which is backed by private equity partner Amulet Capital Partners.

Onspire Health Marketing has acquired Aesthetic Brand Marketing (ABM), a San Diego-area digital marketing and web design agency serving the elective healthcare market. The acquisition expands Onspire's integrated healthcare marketing capabilities—particularly digital, web and paid media services—for cosmetic surgery centers, dermatology practices and medical spas.

New Engen, a Seattle-based digital marketing agency, has acquired Donut Digital, a creative-led performance marketing agency based in Manhattan Beach, California. The acquisition expands New Engen's creative and content production capabilities, enabling a full-service content studio for short-form social, UGC, and premium CTV/OTT content.

Independent creative agency Barrett Hofherr has acquired Oakland-based creative shop Funworks. As part of the deal, Funworks co-founder and chief creative officer Craig Mangan will join Barrett Hofherr, strengthening the agency's creative capabilities and client services.

Navio Networks, a CTV/FAST channel operator, has agreed to acquire Subrosa Digital, a full-service digital marketing and consulting agency, in a cash-and-stock deal expected to close by September 27. The acquisition adds AI-powered content creation, targeted marketing services, and direct ad sales capabilities to Navio's FAST channel offering to drive viewership and monetization for content owners.

New Heritage Capital has made a majority investment in Brilliant, a San Francisco–based provider of corporate gifting and branded merchandise, using its Private IPO structure to provide liquidity and growth capital while leaving operating control with Brilliant's management. Terms were not disclosed; the capital will be used to accelerate Brilliant's growth and scale its technology-enabled gifting and global fulfillment capabilities.

Juice Media has acquired mobile/social performance agency Mooko Media (closed April 2024) and linear/streaming specialist Media Design Group (MDG) (closed August 2024) to expand its omnichannel media and digital marketing capabilities. The deals integrate Mooko’s mobile acquisition expertise and MDG’s linear and streaming strengths into Juice Media’s measurement and optimization platform to enhance media measurement, attribution, and cross-channel campaign performance.

Evestar, a Miami-based eCommerce growth agency, has acquired Paspartoo, a Shopify web development and conversion rate optimization (CRO) agency. The acquisition expands Evestar’s Shopify app development, migration and CRO capabilities, and — according to the announcement — doubles the combined company’s size to better serve DTC brands.

gen.video has acquired Bounty, a Los Angeles–based UGC marketplace and Shopify app, and launched a new content collaboration platform called partnrUP. The acquisition gives gen.video access to Bounty’s network of micro and nano creators and automates user-generated-content collection and performance-based incentives for ecommerce brands, expanding gen.video’s creator commerce capabilities.

Glendora-based branded-merch distributor IMAGEN Inc. has acquired Lake Elsinore-based IMPACT Promotional Products in IMAGEN's first acquisition since its founding. The deal consolidates two Southern California distributors to expand IMAGEN's regional presence, combine resources and client lists; financial terms were not disclosed.

Stran & Company, through its newly formed subsidiary Stran Loyalty Solutions, acquired the assets and assumed certain liabilities of Bangarang Enterprises, LLC (d/b/a Gander Group) via a secured-party sale. Gander Group, headquartered in Irvine, California, generated over $34 million in revenue in 2023; its CEO Josh Blake and COO Bruce Batcheller will join Stran Loyalty Solutions as the acquisition expands Stran's casino continuity and loyalty capabilities and supports cross-selling into gaming and entertainment markets.

Los Angeles-based digital marketing agency GR0 has acquired Amazon & marketplace agency DLVRD to expand its omnichannel and retail media capabilities. DLVRD's founders joined GR0, enabling the combined firm to offer full-funnel Amazon and marketplace services alongside GR0's SEO, paid media, creative, and content offerings.

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. acquired The Reiman Agency, a boutique sports and celebrity marketing firm, with Alden Reiman appointed Managing Director. The deal expands IZEA's sports- and athlete-focused influencer marketing capabilities; financial terms were not disclosed.