Marketing & Advertising Acquisitions in Illinois

Direct Marketing Solutions (DMS) has acquired Johnson & Quin, a 150-year-old, family-owned direct mail production and marketing firm, combining complementary capabilities to form a larger national direct-marketing platform. The deal expands DMS's production capacity and Midwest footprint, preserves leadership continuity (Andrew Henkel becomes President of DMS; David Henkel joins the DMS board) and aims to deepen end-to-end, data-driven omnichannel direct marketing services.

Chicago-based Bear Icebox Communications (BICOM) has acquired boutique PR and crisis communications firm Carson Stoga Communications. The acquisition expands BICOM's reputation management and crisis readiness capabilities; Carson Stoga's founders and senior leaders will join BICOM to continue leading crisis and reputational accounts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Platinum Equity has acquired Czarnowski Collective, a Chicago-based experiential marketing and event production firm, from CEO Mark Nagle and the Nagle family. The deal includes a leadership transition (Jim Milanowski to become CEO) and signals Platinum’s intent to invest in systems, expand footprint and pursue strategic add-ons while preserving the company’s culture.

The Riverside Company-backed Vomela acquired Moss Inc., a global producer of premium event and retail graphics and complex structures, from investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital. The transaction merges Vomela’s Fusion events unit into Moss (to operate as Moss, A Vomela Company), expanding Vomela’s European footprint and creating a larger global experiential events production platform.

OuterBox, a portfolio company of WILsquare Capital, has acquired Accelerated Digital Media (ADM), a Chicago-based performance marketing agency that specializes in paid search, paid social, and analytics for healthcare and e-commerce clients. The add-on strengthens OuterBox's paid media, programmatic and analytics capabilities and expands its presence in the healthcare and enterprise e-commerce end markets. Terms were not disclosed.

Mountaingate Capital completed the acquisition of Walker Sands, an integrated B2B growth services agency, from Stone-Goff Partners. Walker Sands—which operates offices in Chicago, Seattle, and Boston and employs more than 170 people—will continue to be led by co-CEOs Andrew Cross and Dave Parro as Mountaingate supports growth through capability expansion, data & analytics investment, and strategic acquisitions.

Supreme Group, a Trinity Hunt Partners–backed healthcare and life sciences marketing platform, has acquired Pivot Design, a Chicago-based creative agency specializing in pharma and rare disease branding and omnichannel campaigns. The acquisition expands Supreme Group's capabilities in rare disease and pharma and is the platform's ninth deal in 18 months; Pivot Design will retain its brand identity and leadership while gaining access to Supreme Group's AI, technology, and inter-agency resources.

SGS & Co and SGK have completed a merger to form Propelis, a global brand creative and packaging agency grouping that commences operations with ~10,000 employees, nearly $1 billion in annual sales, and a presence in 30+ countries. The combined organization will operate through specialist brands (SGX, Marks & Equator, Collide, 5Flow) to deliver integrated creative, packaging production, and technology-enabled content solutions; Gary Kohl (formerly President of SGK) is CEO and Matt Gresge (formerly CEO of SGS & Co) is Executive Chairman.

Playfly Sports has acquired Paragon Marketing Group to expand its capabilities in brand consulting, event creation, content development and live sports production, particularly across the high-school sports landscape. Paragon will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary called Paragon Sports Marketing, with founding partners Rashid Ghazi and Julie Simmons overseeing the unit to integrate Paragon’s events, media relationships and client partnerships into Playfly’s commercial platform.

Yardi has acquired LCP Media, a visual media technology company that provides virtual tours, photography, drone imagery and other digital marketing services for the rental housing industry. The acquisition integrates LCP Media's visual media capabilities into Yardi's RentCafe/REACH offerings to enhance marketing and renter experiences for multifamily clients.

Overture Promotions, a portfolio company of Westbridge Capital, has acquired Eco Promotional Products (EPP), an e-commerce merch distributor focused on environmentally and socially responsible promotional products. EPP founder and CEO Michelle Sheldon is stepping down and EPP employees will join Overture as the business is folded into Overture's Overture Marketing Group to expand sustainable product offerings and customer services.

Later has acquired Mavely from Rhyz Inc (a Nu Skin Enterprises subsidiary) in a transaction valued at $250 million, funded with a strategic investment from Summit Partners. The deal brings Mavely's network of ~120,000 creators and sales-tracking technology into Later to expand full-funnel creator-driven marketing and measurable commerce capabilities; Mavely leadership will join Later's team.

Market Performance Group (MPG) has acquired E.A. Langenfeld Associates (EAL) to expand MPG's omnichannel commerce capabilities into the Hardware & Home Improvement channel. EAL's leadership team — including CEO Steven B. Henley, who will join MPG as President, E.A. Langenfeld — and its field sales, merchandising and retail execution capabilities will support MPG's brand and retailer offerings across major home-improvement and industrial retailers.

Mercury Public Affairs announced that Chicago-based Serafin & Associates is merging into Mercury's Illinois business, expanding Mercury's public affairs and strategic communications capabilities in the Midwest and nationally. Thom Serafin will join Mercury as co-Chair for Illinois, and Mercury-Illinois will be led by partner and former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos; Mercury is part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.

Samba TV, a TV measurement and ad-tech company, has acquired audience data and contextual targeting specialist Semasio. The deal will combine Samba TV’s video data and AI capabilities with Semasio’s semantic analysis platform to expand contextual targeting across digital, mobile and CTV and accelerate AI-driven product development.

Impact XM, a global experiential marketing agency based in New Jersey, has acquired Matrex Exhibits, an award-winning exhibit, event and environmental design firm based in the greater Chicago area. The acquisition adds Matrex's fabrication and experiential execution capabilities to Impact XM's offering and strengthens the combined firm's position—particularly in the pharmaceutical and trade-show segments—while supporting Impact XM's continued geographic and capability expansion.

Svoboda Capital Partners has made a significant growth investment in Chicago-based Highdive Advertising, with terms undisclosed. The partnership will provide Highdive with capital and strategic support to pursue growth and expand its service offerings while the agency’s existing leadership remains in place.

SFC Group, a woman-owned healthcare marketing and communications agency based in Chicago, has acquired CareContent, a Chicago-based content creation firm founded by Kadesha Thomas Smith. The acquisition expands SFC Group’s content and digital capabilities—adding website, social, podcast and other content services—to better serve healthcare organizations.

Adswerve has acquired MiaProva, an Adobe Solution Partner and maker of an Optimization Management Platform, to strengthen its digital marketing, testing and personalization capabilities. The deal brings MiaProva founder Brian Hawkins and the company's proprietary technologies (including a widely used Chrome extension and an optimization application with hundreds of enterprise users) into Adswerve's consulting and Adobe services practice.

Chicago-based The Motion Agency has acquired 2.718 Marketing, a Chicago-headquartered integrated B2B marketing agency founded in 1988. The acquisition brings 2.718's creative, brand, paid media, PR, social, digital UX and content expertise into Motion's broader integrated marketing capabilities, expanding Motion's services for B2B and B2C clients.

FVLCRUM Funds, together with View Park Capital and investor Channing Johnson, completed the acquisition of Burrell Communications Group, a leading multicultural advertising and marketing agency based in Chicago. The deal transitions ownership from longtime co-CEOs McGhee Osse and Fay Ferguson and names Tara DeVeaux as incoming CEO, with Johnson set to serve as Chairman as the new owners invest to grow the agency's capabilities and reach.

CloudMellow, a Dallas-based enterprise digital agency, has acquired Chicago-based Idea Marketing Group to strengthen its website design, hosting and search engine (SEO/SEM) capabilities. Idea Marketing Group's leadership and team will remain in place following the acquisition; financial terms were not disclosed.

Erie Street Growth Partners made a growth investment in 50,000feet, an independent brand consultancy and creative agency, to support expansion of its offerings, operational infrastructure, and geographic footprint. 50,000feet will retain its independence with CEO Jim Misener reporting to Jerry Graunke of Erie Street; 7 Mile Advisors acted as exclusive sell‑side advisor on the transaction.

Subject Matter and Kivvit have combined to form Subject Matter+Kivvit, a national communications and advocacy agency operating under Coral Tree Partners. The combined firm (200+ employees) offers integrated strategic communications, data analytics, government relations, digital strategy, creative content and advertising services and is approaching $100 million in annual revenue.

Steller, a travel discovery and booking platform based in Kirkland, Washington, has acquired Travel Mindset, a Chicago-based influencer marketing agency focused on travel and lifestyle. As part of the deal, Travel Mindset founder Harley Schachter will join Steller as Chief Revenue Officer and Microsoft advertising veteran Rik van der Kooi joins Steller’s board to help expand the company’s influencer marketing and booking capabilities.

Cloud Equity Group, a New York–based private equity firm, has acquired Schaumburg, Illinois–based digital agency eBizUniverse. Terms were not disclosed; Cloud Equity Group said the acquisition creates synergies with its earlier acquisition of Chrein to expand its digital agency capabilities serving government and private-sector clients.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Chicago-based ROC Group, an employee communication agency founded in 1998 that specializes in HR and enterprise change solutions. Jan Burnham and her team joined Gallagher’s employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations; terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Matterport, Inc. has acquired VHT, Inc. (VHT Studios), a U.S.-based real estate visual marketing company, to combine VHT's photography, drone imagery and marketing services with Matterport's 3D digital twin platform. The deal (terms not disclosed) expands Matterport Capture Services and is intended to accelerate adoption of digital twins across residential and commercial real estate as well as travel, hospitality and retail markets.

Dallas-based Connect Partnership Group has acquired Chicago-based sponsorship sales and marketing agency HARLON to expand its sports, music and immersive entertainment offerings nationwide. HARLON founder Scott Howard will join Connect as Executive Vice President of Property Sales and the deal strengthens Connect's property sales portfolio and consulting capabilities.

Global digital agency DEPT has completed the acquisition of growth marketing agency 3Q Digital, bringing 3Q’s ~500 US-based specialists into DEPT’s global team. The deal integrates 3Q’s proprietary solutions (including Qontrol) into DEPT’s Ada martech platform and expands DEPT’s US capabilities and scale across data, engineering, and performance marketing.

Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital has provided a structured capital investment in Terraboost Media, a Chicago-area out-of-home advertising network operator. The financing will support Terraboost's rapid growth and digitization of its nationwide wellness display network (more than 100,000 displays); Canaccord Genuity served as Terraboost's financial advisor.

Freestar has acquired the ad management business of MPW Digital, adding more than 500 managed websites to its publisher portfolio and strengthening its direct sales capabilities. The deal also establishes an ongoing strategic direct-sales partnership between Freestar and MPW Digital to extend MPW's direct-sales expertise across Freestar's publisher network.

Lightricks, the creator-focused software company behind apps like Facetune and Videoleap, has acquired Popular Pays, a Chicago-based influencer marketing and creator-monetization platform. The deal integrates Popular Pays' marketplace and campaign tools into Lightricks' creator suite to expand monetization and brand-collaboration capabilities for creators and provide brands streamlined access to creator-driven content.

EventLink, a Fort Point Capital portfolio company, has acquired OutCold, a Chicago-based experiential marketing agency that provides creative, fabrication, logistics and staffing services for automotive, CPG, hospitality, retail and technology clients. The deal expands EventLink's experiential capabilities and client footprint by adding OutCold's expertise in mobile marketing, vehicle-based tours, custom builds and event production.

Chicago-headquartered SPM Group, backed by Corridor Capital, acquired health content agency GLC as an add-on to deepen its written and digital content capabilities for health, healthcare and wellness clients. The acquisition — GLC is SPM Group's third agency addition (and second in 2021) — expands the platform's integrated services offering and client access to additional content strategy and production expertise.

CM Group announced a merger with Cheetah Digital under the CM Group name to expand its martech capabilities across email, personalization, loyalty and omnichannel engagement. The combined company, backed by Insight Partners with Vector Capital as a substantial minority owner, aims to accelerate product innovation and expand CM Group's reach into large enterprise customers.

Chatham Asset Management, through its affiliates, completed a take-private acquisition of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) for $10.85 per share in cash after stockholder approval. The transaction, announced December 14, 2021 and closed in February 2022, will delist RRD from the NYSE and positions Chatham to pursue operational and financial restructuring to unlock shareholder value.

Carnegie Dartlet LLC, a New Heritage Capital portfolio company, acquired mStoner, a higher-education web design and technology firm, in October 2021. The deal adds web design, CMS and technology capabilities to Carnegie’s higher-education marketing and enrollment services as an add-on to its platform.

SourceCode Communications, a New York-based technology and innovation communications agency, has acquired Chicago-based integrated creative agency Strike 2 to expand its digital strategy and creative capabilities. The acquisition brings additional advertising and integrated campaign expertise in-house and increases SourceCode's team size and client roster.

Futuredontics, a portfolio company of CriticalPoint Capital, has acquired Lead Smart Inc., a performance marketing agency specializing in pay-per-call advertising. The deal brings Lead Smart’s SEO, paid search, social and pay-per-call capabilities into Futuredontics’ dental marketing platform and names Lead Smart founder Matthew Zivkovic as CEO of Futuredontics to help drive growth and capability expansion.

Fishawack Health has acquired Chicago-based closerlook LLC, a data-driven, AI-enabled digital healthcare marketing agency, to enhance its omnichannel and advanced analytics capabilities. The acquisition combines closerlook’s Backstage Intelligence platform and analytics expertise with Fishawack’s global medical communications, commercial and consulting services to provide integrated commercialization solutions for life sciences clients.

Chicago-based, technology-enabled marketing firm Fusion92 has received a strategic investment from Austin-based private equity firm Serata Capital Partners in partnership with Boston-based family office Landon Capital Partners. The investment will support Fusion92’s organic growth and fund selective add-on acquisitions while the founding management team remains in place.

Sparks, a Philadelphia-based brand experience agency, has acquired Chicago-area trade-show exhibit firm 3D Exhibits. The deal expands Sparks' midwest fabrication and service footprint and brings 3D Exhibits' leadership (owner Gene Faut) into Sparks' executive team with a minority ownership stake.

Innovatus Capital Partners has acquired creative agency VSA Partners, which will serve as the foundational entity in a newly created global marketing services platform. The partnership aims to expand VSA’s capabilities and geographic footprint while leveraging its integrated design, branding, and digital marketing expertise for major B2B and B2C clients.

1WorldSync, a product content solutions provider backed by Battery Ventures, has acquired Snap36, a specialist in 360-degree and 3D product imaging. The acquisition deepens integration of Snap36’s automated image-capture technology into 1WorldSync’s end-to-end product content suite to expand capabilities for brands and retailers in e-commerce and retail channels.

Lou Weisbach and an investor group, together with Westbridge Capital Ltd., have acquired the business of promotional-products distributor Overture Promotions and will operate it as a platform for an international branding company led by Weisbach and Overture CEO JoAnn Gilley. Westbridge will fund future add-on acquisitions and investments to expand Overture's services, technology, distribution capacity and global footprint.

HH Global Group Limited completed its acquisition of InnerWorkings, Inc., valuing InnerWorkings at approximately $3.00 per share in a cash transaction announced July 2020 and closed October 1, 2020. The deal combines HH Global's outsourced marketing execution capabilities with InnerWorkings' creative, print, direct mail and branded merchandise services to create a global end-to-end marketing solutions provider.

Barrington Media Group, a Fort Point Capital–backed marketing services platform, has acquired Chicago-based digital advertising agency Blackbird Garage. The add-on expands Barrington's digital media and e-commerce advertising capabilities; Blackbird Garage leadership will remain with the business.

Schafer Condon Carter (SCC) has acquired 100% of TimeZoneOne (TZO), a Chicago-based PR and digital agency with additional offices in New Zealand and Canada. The acquisition adds global PR, digital and website development capabilities to SCC and allows TZO to continue operating independently under CEO Daniel Thomas.

Osceola Capital’s portfolio company I&I Sales Group, now rebranded as Avision Sales Group, acquired Apex Reps, a Chicago-based outsourced sales and marketing firm serving janitorial and sanitation manufacturers. The deal expands Avision’s geographic footprint into the Midwest as part of its buy-and-build strategy under Osceola Capital’s ownership.