Marketing & Advertising Acquisitions in Georgia

Power Digital (a tech-enabled growth marketing firm) has acquired Cardinal Digital Marketing to establish a dedicated healthcare division. Cardinal will operate as Power Digital's healthcare division, retaining its leadership and team while leveraging Power Digital's enterprise intelligence and measurement capabilities to scale healthcare-focused marketing services.

Alloy, a Purpose Group‑backed marketing and transformation agency based in Atlanta, has acquired The Partnership (TPI), Atlanta’s oldest privately‑held full‑service marketing and brand communications agency. The Partnership’s team and proprietary analytics/AI product (P360/P360-like dashboard) will operate under the Alloy brand to expand Alloy’s capabilities in communications, brand strategy, paid media, analytics and healthcare/financial services expertise as a bolt‑on acquisition.

MSQ (via its MSQ DX digital experience division) has acquired Arke, an 80-person digital experience company headquartered in Atlanta with a delivery hub in Florianópolis, Brazil. The acquisition strengthens MSQ DX’s North American footprint, adds capabilities across UX, engineering and martech, and integrates Arke’s founder Eric Stoll into MSQ DX leadership.

Forward Solutions, a national outsourced sales and marketing organization, has merged with ProCom Sales, a telecom manufacturer representative agency headquartered in Woodstock, Georgia. The combination expands Forward Solutions' footprint and capabilities across telecom, broadband and power utility markets in the Southeastern United States.

Alloy, a Purpose Group portfolio marketing and brand agency, has acquired Atlanta-area digital agency Hot Sauce to deepen Alloy’s martech and growth-marketing capabilities. The deal is an add-on to Alloy (a Purpose Group portfolio company) and will integrate Hot Sauce’s martech, UX/design, and growth marketing expertise into Alloy’s service offering.

Moburst, a mobile-first full-service digital marketing agency, has acquired Atlanta-based Rhythm Communications and will integrate the firm into its PR division, Uproar by Moburst. The deal expands Moburst’s PR and communications capabilities and strengthens its presence in the Southeast market.

Arketi Group has acquired Audacity, an Atlanta-based internal communications consultancy, and launched a new workplace change and communications offering called Arketi Inside. Jason Anthoine, Audacity’s managing founder, will join Arketi to lead the new offering as the agency expands its capabilities as part of a PE-backed platform build.

Drummond, a privately held national marketing execution and print solutions provider, has acquired Tucker Castleberry Printing (Atlanta, GA) and New London Communications (Alpharetta, GA). The deals expand Drummond’s production capacity, digital printing/finishing capabilities, and promotional/apparel services while strengthening its nationwide delivery and marketing services platform.

Burrell Communications Group has acquired Fitzco, a 42-year-old full-service marketing agency based in Atlanta, Georgia. The roughly 100-person firm will operate as a separate entity with founder Dave Fitzgerald becoming interim CEO — the deal is Burrell's first step toward building the BCG Worldwide agency network and deepens Burrell's capabilities in creative, media, measurement and analytics.

Inspired Thinking Group (ITG), a Bridgepoint-backed AI-enabled content company, has acquired US-based PureRed to expand ITG’s Halo content and Storyteq-powered solutions into North America. The deal brings over 500 marketing professionals and PureRed’s omnichannel content capabilities into ITG’s global footprint to accelerate growth and better serve major brand clients.

Arketi Group, an Atlanta-based digital marketing and public relations agency serving B2B technology companies, has secured a majority private equity investment from Go Capital and Station Partners. The investment positions Arketi as the platform leader for a new network of B2B tech marketing and communications firms to accelerate growth, expand services and enter new verticals; TobinLeff served as M&A advisor on the transaction.

WHTWRKS Inc. has acquired Authentique Marketing Agency to deepen its multicultural marketing and creative capabilities, particularly in campaigns targeting Black and LGBTQ audiences. Roy Broderick Jr., founder of Authentique, will join WHTWRKS as Chief Growth Officer to help integrate culture-driven brand strategy and expand WHTWRKS's presence in Atlanta.

Shamrock Capital has acquired Nth Degree, a Duluth, Georgia–based provider of exhibit management and experiential event services, in a transaction that resulted in Gladstone Investment Corporation and Capitala Group selling their remaining equity positions. The investment will be used to scale Nth Degree's services platform across live events, trade shows and experiential marketing while the company continues to operate under its existing leadership.

Trevelino/Keller, an Atlanta-based growth PR and marketing firm, has acquired Marsden Marketing to add strategic, technological and tactical marketing capabilities to its service offering. The acquisition brings Marsden's expertise in digital advertising, demand generation and account-based marketing into Trevelino/Keller's broader inbound/outbound/reputation platform.

LDC-backed Croud has acquired Vert Digital, an Atlanta-based digital marketing and advertising agency founded in 2009 by Kevin Planovsky and Michael Lentz. The deal expands Croud's US footprint and combines Vert's paid media, creative, CRM and analytics capabilities with Croud's global Croudie network and integrated marketing platform.

ZS, the Evanston, Illinois-based management consulting and technology firm, has acquired Digital Additive, an Atlanta-based Salesforce-focused digital marketing agency. The acquisition strengthens ZS's end-to-end customer engagement capabilities, bolstering its digital data and analytics, customer orchestration and marketing activation offerings.

Brandmovers, Inc. has acquired The A Team, an award-winning brand development and content creation agency, to expand its creative, shopper marketing, and sweepstakes capabilities. The acquisition strengthens Brandmovers' service offering—combining loyalty technology, digital marketing, and creative services—to provide an integrated, global promotions and loyalty solution for clients ranging from SMBs to Fortune 500 brands.

Purpose Group, a purpose-driven holding company based in Atlanta, has acquired Alloy, a precision storytelling and experience agency that serves technology brands. Alloy's founder Raj Choudhury will remain CEO as the agency joins Purpose Group's portfolio alongside Gerald Printing and Liberty Imaging.

Luckie & Company has acquired Marbury Creative Group (MCG), an Atlanta-based creative marketing agency, and will integrate MCG's 18-person team into Luckie's Atlanta office. The acquisition expands Luckie's capabilities in content, search engine marketing, media strategy & planning, and brings leadership additions with Rob Marbury as Executive Creative Director and Shelly Hoffman as Senior Vice President, Client Solutions & Development.

The LABRADOR Group (Labrador Regulated Information Transparency, Inc.) has acquired Argyle, a U.S.-based investor communications, advisory and design firm, from Diversified Global Graphics Group (DG3). The transaction also included DG3's Philippines subsidiary DG3 iDocs, strengthening Labrador's U.S. presence and advisory/ESG design capabilities; terms were not publicly disclosed.

Playfly Sports has acquired The Aspire Group to form the cornerstone of a new tech-infused Playfly Gameday division, expanding Playfly's ticketing, hospitality, and fan-engagement capabilities. The deal adds Aspire’s team of 166 employees and its experience with more than 300 collegiate and professional partners to Playfly’s platform to drive matchday revenues and advanced fan analytics.

Alloy, an Atlanta-based integrated marketing agency, has acquired fellow Atlanta creative technology firm Narwhal.Digital LLC to deepen its design, product and technical capabilities. Narwhal founders Jennifer Ready and Vivek Pandya will join Alloy in leadership/advisory roles; terms were not disclosed. The combined business now employs more than 60 people and will broaden Alloy's services for technology and SaaS clients.

Funds managed by Kelso & Company completed a majority investment to acquire DEFINITION 6, a digital customer experience agency based in Atlanta and New York. DEFINITION 6 will merge with Emtec, a Kelso portfolio company, to create a global digital consultancy led by Emtec CEO Sunil Misra; D6 management will remain significant investors alongside Kelso. The transaction closed in September 2022 and financial terms were not disclosed.

The Next Practices Group (NPG) announced that Content Science, the Atlanta-based content intelligence and strategy firm founded by Colleen Jones, is joining NPG's network of companies. The deal brings Content Science's content strategy, analytics and ContentWRX product into NPG's capabilities to expand its marketing, analytics and digital content offerings.

Agency Ventures Aggregator LLC (AVA) completed its acquisition of Atlanta-based TopRight Partners, an established marketing and branding agency. AVA — an agency aggregation platform led by Tom Shipley, Peter Lang and Felix Velarde — plans to scale TopRight as the first of seven planned acquisitions, using its 2Y3X program to rapidly grow revenue; terms were not disclosed.

Dallas-based digital and technology firm Cloudmellow has acquired Atlanta-based website design and digital marketing company The Creative Momentum, effective July 21, 2022. The deal expands Cloudmellow's website development and digital-marketing capabilities and establishes a formal presence in the Atlanta market; financial terms were not disclosed and The Creative Momentum's principals will remain with the business.

Givex Information Technology Group Limited has completed the acquisition of Loyalty Lane, Inc., including its subsidiaries Electronic Scrip Incorporated and Media Solutions Company. The deal adds roughly 2,000 merchant clients and about 11 million registered consumers, brings annualized revenue of ~US$4.5M, and expands Givex's platform and CRM/loyalty capabilities into the grocery, convenience store and fuel verticals in the United States.

Align Capital Partners made a growth capital investment in We Are Rosie, a flexible talent marketplace for advertising and marketing, in December 2021. The deal valued We Are Rosie at $110 million; founder and CEO Stephanie Nadi Olson retained a significant stake and will continue to lead the company as it uses the capital to invest in people and technology to scale its marketplace.

Trailhead Media, a Mississippi-based out-of-home advertising operator backed by investor Viking Global, purchased Horton Outdoor’s billboard assets, including 146 structures (324 faces) with 47 digital displays concentrated north of Atlanta and in parts of Alabama and Florida. The assets were previously held by Horton Outdoor, a portfolio company of McWhorter Capital Partners; terms were not disclosed and Drachman M&A Co. represented the seller.

Multicultural marketing agency Sensis has acquired Atlanta-based PM3, combining Sensis' strategy and research capabilities with PM3's creative production resources. The deal expands Sensis' presence in the Southeast (Atlanta) and increases its creative and production capabilities to better serve consumer and government clients.

Thought Logic Consulting, a Renovus Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Caprē Group, an Atlanta-based sales and marketing consultancy. The deal expands Thought Logic's go-to-market and sales & marketing capabilities, strengthens embedded customer relationships, and extends the firm's presence in the Atlanta market and across the U.S.

FINN Partners has acquired Agency Ten22, an Atlanta-based communications and marketing firm focused on health information technology. The deal brings Agency Ten22's health IT expertise and talent into FINN's Global Health Practice, expanding FINN's capabilities and presence in the Southeast.

RLH Equity Partners has made a growth investment in Astound Commerce, a global provider of e-commerce and digital experience services. The investment will support Astound's continued expansion of its managed services and digital commerce capabilities across North America, Europe and the Middle East.

ClickDimensions, the Atlanta-based marketing technology provider for Microsoft Dynamics 365, has acquired Eletype, a marketing-technology startup that delivers intelligent monitoring and collaboration for campaign performance via Microsoft Teams and Slack. The deal brings Eletype’s monitoring and notification capabilities into ClickDimensions’ platform to enhance unified sales and marketing analytics and collaboration features.

MWWPR (MikeWorldWide) has acquired Everywhere Agency, an Atlanta-based influencer and social-first marketing agency. TobinLeff advised Everywhere Agency on the sale; founder Danica Kombol said joining MWWPR will give clients access to a broader suite of PR, social and integrated communications capabilities.

Bounteous, a Chicago-based digital transformation agency backed by Mountaingate Capital, has acquired Atlanta-based commerce and customer experience agency FortyFour. The acquisition strengthens Bounteous's Magento and commerce capabilities and brings FortyFour's enterprise clients (including Coca‑Cola, Fiserv and Boehringer Ingelheim) and team into the Bounteous organization.

Vision Integrated Graphics Group, a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, has acquired DX Marketing, a data-driven marketing and analytics agency. The add-on strengthens Vision's omnichannel customer acquisition and engagement offerings by integrating DXM's team, marketing technology, and one-to-one targeting capabilities.

AERO Marketing Group has acquired full-service events and hospitality firm 721 Solutions and named its founder Drew Bergwall Director of Partnerships. The acquisition expands AERO’s experiential, events and hospitality capabilities and integrates 721 Solutions’ event fulfillment and hospitality services into AERO’s offering, with Bergwall joining the Atlanta team.

Terminus, the Atlanta-based account-based marketing (ABM) platform, has acquired Ramble, an account-based chat provider, to integrate on-page chat, routing, and conversational workflows into the Terminus platform. The deal expands Terminus’ product capabilities—bringing chat, chatbots, and conversational engagement into its ABM stack to improve lead qualification and connect marketing activities directly to sales conversations.

Clearview Capital has launched UpSwell, a full-service, data-driven marketing agency formed by combining two specialty marketing firms Clearview previously acquired — Mudlick Mail and Muscle Up Marketing. The new agency, headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, expands Clearview's marketing capabilities across direct mail, digital channels and enhanced AI-powered analytics to serve local- and franchise-based small and mid-sized businesses.

MSouth Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, has acquired Nth Degree, a leading provider of exhibit management and event services. Gladstone Investment Corporation sold its majority stake while retaining a minority equity interest; MSouth will partner with Nth Degree's management to expand services, capacity and technology to support global event marketing growth.

Ansira Partners Inc. has acquired BrightWave, a leading U.S. email and eCRM agency based in Atlanta, to expand Ansira's CRM, loyalty and email marketing capabilities and increase its presence in Atlanta. BrightWave's ~70 employees and expertise across major marketing platforms will be integrated into Ansira's broader brand-to-local marketing technology and services offering.

Northlane Capital Partners completed a recapitalization of List Partners Inc., the operator of the Winmo and Catapult sales intelligence offerings. Five Points Capital provided subordinated debt financing (and had previously co-invested) to support Northlane's dividend recapitalization of List Partners.

Caltius Structured Capital provided subordinated debt, preferred equity and common equity to support a management buyout of Adrenaline, LLC from NewGround International, co-investing alongside Adrenaline’s senior management team. Adrenaline, an Atlanta-based experience-design and brand strategy firm serving banks, credit unions and retail clients, completed the transaction to secure liquidity and support growth and independence.

Local Marketing Solutions Group, Inc. (LMSG) has acquired KMA One to expand its sales and marketing support capabilities, including lead generation, telemarketing, territory development and sales enablement. The founders of KMA One, Meryl McKenna and Keith Manning, will remain with the business, which will continue to operate as a stand‑alone brand supporting LMSG companies such as JGSullivan Interactive, DuFour Advertising and WeblyGuys. Auctus Capital Partners acted as exclusive advisor on the transaction.

Influence Health, a Birmingham-based provider of an integrated digital consumer engagement platform, has acquired BrightWhistle, an Atlanta-based healthcare-specific digital marketing platform. The acquisition adds BrightWhistle's Facebook, paid search and patient remarketing capabilities (offered as SaaS and managed services) to Influence Health's marketing platform to boost patient acquisition and engagement for healthcare clients.

LBi International AB, the international full-service digital agency network, has acquired Creative Digital Group LLC, an Atlanta-based interactive agency specializing in online advertising and rich media. The acquisition expands LBi’s US capabilities and complements its existing New York operations; terms were not disclosed.