Tracked deals
57
57 tracked deals across 2004-2026.
Marketing & Advertising Buyers & Acquisitions in Illinois
Buyer mix
Mixed buyer set
47 strategic · 25 pe
Top trend
Volume peaked in 2021
9 tracked deals announced in 2021.
Primary Insight
What Stands Out
- Chicago appears repeatedly as a target location (e.g., Carson Stoga Communications; Czarnowski Collective; Accelerated Digital Media; Pivot Design; LCP Media).
- Buyers pursue capability expansion across the funnel: direct marketing/omnichannel (Direct Marketing Solutions), reputation & crisis communications (Bear Icebox Communications), experiential marketing (Platinum Equity; Moss/Vomela).
- Growth strategies include data, technology, and measurable outcomes—such as analytics-focused performance marketing (Accelerated Digital Media) and sales-tracking/creator commerce (Mavely).
- Capital and platform investors recur, including Fort Point Capital, Connect Partnership Group, Insight Partners, Summit Partners, Keystone Capital, MERGE, and Playfly Sports.
| Recurring buyer name | Deal theme shown in Illinois events |
|---|---|
| Playfly Sports | Sports media, events, and marketing capabilities |
| OuterBox (WILsquare Capital) | Paid media + analytics add-on |
| Later (Summit Partners) | Creator-driven, measurable commerce |
| Yardi | Visual media integration for multifamily marketing |
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Top Buyers
Illustrative buyers pulled from tracked transactions on this page. This table is capped and intentionally non-exhaustive.
| Buyer | # Deals | Focus | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Point Capital | 2 | Private equity firm focused on lower middle market invest... | PE |
| 1WorldSync | 1 | Provider of product content solutions and GDSN data pool ... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Adswerve | 1 | Data, media and technology consultancy; Adobe Gold Soluti... | Strategic |
| Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | 1 | Global insurance brokerage, risk management and consultin... | Strategic |
| Avision Sales Group | 1 | Manufacturer representative and outsourced sales & market... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Barrington Media Group | 1 | Technology-enabled marketing services business focused on... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Bear Icebox Communications | 1 | Chicago-based full-service strategic PR and communication... | Strategic |
| CM Group | 1 | Family of global marketing technology brands offering ema... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Carnegie Dartlet LLC | 1 | Provider of higher-education marketing, enrollment strate... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Cars.com Inc. | 1 | Public online automotive marketplace connecting car shopp... | Strategic |
Acquisition Volume in Marketing & Advertising in Illinois by Year
Last 9 years
Actual
Full-year estimate
Supporting Data
Recent Transactions
-
February 14, 2026
- Buyer
- Direct Marketing Solutions
- Target
- Johnson & Quin
- Seller
- Johnson & Quin family owners (Henkel family / company leadership)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
February 11, 2026
- Buyer
- Main Street Capital Corporation, MSC Income Fund, Inc., DMS Holdco LLC
- Target
- Johnson & Quin, Inc., DMS Holdco LLC
- Seller
- owners of Johnson & Quin, Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
Main Street Capital Corporation (NYSE: MAIN) and its co-investor MSC Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: MSIF) completed a follow-on investment totaling $25.6 million in their existing portfolio company, DMS Holdco LLC. The new financing supports DMS’s strategic acquisition of Johnson & Quin, Inc. (J&Q), an omni-channel/direct marketing services business located in Chicago, Illinois.
-
January 20, 2026
- Buyer
- Bear Icebox Communications
- Target
- Carson Stoga Communications
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 20, 2026
- Buyer
- Platinum Equity
- Target
- Czarnowski Collective
- Seller
- Mark Nagle and the Nagle family
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
December 16, 2025
- Buyer
- The Vomela Companies, The Riverside Company
- Target
- Moss Inc.
- Seller
- EagleTree Capital
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
October 22, 2025
- Buyer
- OuterBox, WILsquare Capital
- Target
- Accelerated Digital Media
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
August 5, 2025
- Buyer
- Supreme Group
- Target
- Pivot Design
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
May 6, 2025
- Buyer
- SGK, SGS & Co
- Target
- SGK, SGS & Co
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
March 10, 2025
- Buyer
- Playfly Sports
- Target
- Paragon Marketing Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
February 26, 2025
- Buyer
- Yardi
- Target
- LCP Media
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
February 3, 2025
- Buyer
- Overture Promotions, Westbridge Capital
- Target
- Eco Promotional Products
- Seller
- Michelle Sheldon
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
January 3, 2025
- Buyer
- Later, Summit Partners
- Target
- Mavely
- Seller
- Rhyz Inc, Nu Skin Enterprises
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
December 3, 2024
- Buyer
- Market Performance Group
- Target
- E.A. Langenfeld Associates
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
November 21, 2024
- Buyer
- Mercury Public Affairs
- Target
- Serafin & Associates
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 31, 2024
- Buyer
- Samba TV
- Target
- Semasio
- Seller
- Fyllo
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 29, 2024
- Buyer
- Impact XM
- Target
- Matrex Exhibits
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Svoboda Capital Partners LLC
- Target
- Highdive Advertising, LLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
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.
-
March 5, 2024
- Buyer
- SFC Group
- Target
- CareContent
- Seller
- CareContent, Kadesha Thomas Smith
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Adswerve
- Target
- MiaProva
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 24, 2024
- Buyer
- The Motion Agency
- Target
- 2.718 Marketing
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 25, 2023
- Buyer
- FVLCRUM Funds (FVLCRUM Partners), View Park Capital (VPC), Channing Johnson
- Target
- Burrell Communications Group
- Seller
- McGhee Osse, Fay Ferguson
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
August 9, 2023
- Buyer
- CloudMellow
- Target
- Idea Marketing Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
June 15, 2023
- Buyer
- Erie Street Growth Partners
- Target
- 50,000feet
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
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.
-
- Buyer
- Coral Tree Partners, Subject Matter
- Target
- Kivvit
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
March 22, 2023
- Buyer
- Steller
- Target
- Travel Mindset
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
February 13, 2023
- Buyer
- Cloud Equity Group
- Target
- eBizUniverse
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
December 27, 2022
- Buyer
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
- Target
- ROC Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
July 7, 2022
- Buyer
- Matterport, Inc.
- Target
- VHT, Inc. (VHT Studios)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
June 23, 2022
- Buyer
- Connect Partnership Group
- Target
- HARLON
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
April 21, 2022
- Buyer
- DEPT
- Target
- 3Q Digital
- Seller
- 3Q Digital shareholders
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
March 31, 2022
- Buyer
- Trive Capital
- Target
- Terraboost Media Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
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.
-
March 23, 2022
- Buyer
- Freestar
- Target
- MPW Digital (ad management business)
- Seller
- MPW Digital
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Divestiture
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.
-
March 23, 2022
- Buyer
- Lightricks
- Target
- Popular Pays
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
March 8, 2022
- Buyer
- EventLink, Fort Point Capital
- Target
- OutCold
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
December 21, 2021
- Buyer
- SPM Group, Corridor Capital
- Target
- GLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
October 21, 2021
- Buyer
- CM Group, Insight Partners, Vector Capital
- Target
- Cheetah Digital
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 7, 2021
- Buyer
- Carnegie Dartlet LLC, New Heritage Capital
- Target
- mStoner
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
October 6, 2021
- Buyer
- SourceCode Communications
- Target
- Strike 2
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Futuredontics, CriticalPoint Capital, LLC
- Target
- Lead Smart Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
June 8, 2021
- Buyer
- Fishawack Health
- Target
- closerlook LLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Serata Capital Partners, Landon Capital Partners
- Target
- Fusion92
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
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.
-
February 9, 2021
- Buyer
- Sparks
- Target
- 3D Exhibits
- Seller
- Gene Faut / 3D Exhibits (previous owner)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 27, 2021
- Buyer
- Innovatus Capital Partners
- Target
- VSA Partners
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
December 17, 2020
- Buyer
- 1WorldSync
- Target
- Snap36
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
November 18, 2020
- Buyer
- Westbridge Capital Ltd., Lou Weisbach, Mark Serdar, Michael Nemlich
- Target
- Overture Promotions
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 1, 2020
- Buyer
- HH Global Group Limited
- Target
- InnerWorkings, Inc.
- Seller
- InnerWorkings stockholders
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
September 22, 2020
- Buyer
- Barrington Media Group, Fort Point Capital
- Target
- Blackbird Garage
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
August 31, 2020
- Buyer
- Schafer Condon Carter
- Target
- TimeZoneOne
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Avision Sales Group (I&I Sales Group), Osceola Capital Management, LLC
- Target
- Apex Reps
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
July 13, 2020
- Buyer
- Mediaocean
- Target
- 4C Insights Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Mediaocean entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 4C Insights, a Chicago-based marketing technology and data science company, to integrate 4C's intelligence and Scope CEP into Mediaocean's system of record for omnichannel advertising. The transaction (terms undisclosed) is intended to add cross-channel intelligence and optimization to Mediaocean's end-to-end media management platform and was expected to close in July 2020.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Illinois sub-sectors are most visible in these acquisitions?
Common themes include direct marketing/omnichannel services, PR and crisis communications, experiential marketing and event production, performance/paid media marketing, and digital marketing tools such as virtual tours and creator-driven commerce.
Where are many of the targets based within Illinois?
Targets frequently reference Illinois and, in several deals, are specifically Chicago-based (including PR, experiential/event, performance marketing, creative agencies, and visual media services).
Do deal announcements usually disclose financial terms?
Not always. Some transactions note that financial terms were not disclosed, while others include stated values (for example, Later’s acquisition of Mavely is described as $250 million).
Are platform-builds and add-ons both represented?
Yes. The page facts describe both acquisitions intended to scale broader platforms (e.g., integrating acquired capabilities into existing offerings) and add-on-style expansions aimed at specific capability gaps.
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