Tracked deals
29
29 tracked deals across 2020-2026.
Marketing & Advertising Buyers & Acquisitions in Minnesota
Buyer mix
Mixed buyer set
22 strategic · 15 pe
Top trend
Volume peaked in 2022
10 tracked deals announced in 2022.
Primary Insight
What Stands Out
- Private equity-backed platforms and portfolio companies show up repeatedly (e.g., Mountaingate Capital supporting acquisitions like Podean’s deal with Ad Advance and Bold Orange Company’s deal for Journey 121).
- Experiential marketing and production are a recurring capability focus, including acquisitions that bring together strategy, design, fabrication, and on-the-ground execution.
- Retail media / in-store and retail networks feature in the state’s activity, such as Grocery TV acquiring Mediaworks Advertising Solutions and Ad Advance adding Streamline technology and retail-media/DSP capabilities.
- Martech for multi-location brands appears in the form of SaaS marketing platforms like Journey 121, aimed at turnkey, personalized programs delivered through local distribution networks.
- Minnesota headquarters are common (e.g., Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park) while some buyers operate on broader national or multi-country footprints after integration.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold Orange Company | 2 | Customer experience agency providing strategy, content, U... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Mountaingate Capital | 2 | Private equity firm focused on marketing services, busine... | PE |
| AU Optronics | 1 | Global display manufacturer and parent strategic investor... | Strategic |
| Bow River Capital | 1 | Denver-based private alternative asset manager focused on... | PE |
| Brookside Capital Partners | 1 | Provider of flexible capital (subordinated debt, unitranc... | PE |
| Canopy Capital Management, LLC (Canopy Capital Partners) | 1 | Private equity firm focused on lower-middle market recapi... | PE |
| Capillary Technologies | 1 | Global AI-powered customer loyalty and engagement SaaS pl... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Clearview Capital Fund IV, L.P. (Clearview Capital) | 1 | Private investment firm specializing in lower-middle mark... | PE |
| Cohere Capital | 1 | Growth-focused private equity firm investing in middle‑ma... | PE |
| ComQi | 1 | Cloud-based digital signage and shopper engagement platfo... | Strategic |
Acquisition Volume in Marketing & Advertising in Minnesota by Year
Last 6 years
Actual
Full-year estimate
Supporting Data
Recent Transactions
-
February 26, 2026
- Buyer
- Tonka Bay Equity Partners LLC
- Target
- CAMP Digital
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Tonka Bay Equity Partners LLC made a strategic investment in CAMP Digital, a tech-enabled marketing platform for the home services industry. The funding is intended to fuel CAMP’s next phase of aggressive expansion while maintaining founder-led operational continuity.
-
February 19, 2026
- Buyer
- Podean, Mountaingate Capital
- Target
- Ad Advance
- Seller
- Permanent Equity
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Addon
Marketplace-focused agency Podean has acquired Ad Advance, a Duluth, Minnesota–based retail media agency, from Permanent Equity. The deal—facilitated by Podean's private equity partner Mountaingate Capital—adds Ad Advance’s Streamline technology and retail-media/DSP capabilities to Podean’s global marketplaces platform and was announced as creating a combined business with ~260 staff across 17 countries.
-
September 17, 2024
- Buyer
- NPARALLEL
- Target
- Atomic Props
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
NPARALLEL, a Minneapolis-based experiential marketing agency, has acquired Atomic Props and Effects LTD to combine strategy, design, fabrication and execution capabilities. The acquisition brings together complementary teams to expand experiential marketing, trade show, brand activation and OOH fabrication services and accelerate capability and creative offering for brand clients.
-
- Buyer
- The Imagine Group
- Target
- Temporary display and signage portfolio (Meyers Printing Company)
- Seller
- Meyers Printing Company
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Divestiture
The Imagine Group has acquired a large temporary display and signage portfolio from Meyers Printing Company. The deal transfers Meyers' temporary display/signage team and capabilities to Imagine, expanding Imagine's visual communications capacity while allowing Meyers to focus on its core packaging and labels business.
-
July 31, 2024
- Buyer
- Bold Orange Company, Mountaingate Capital
- Target
- Journey 121
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Addon
Bold Orange Company (a Mountaingate Capital portfolio company) has acquired Journey 121, a SaaS marketing platform that supports multi-location brands with turnkey, personalized marketing programs. The acquisition expands Bold Orange's marketing technology and analytics capabilities, enabling brands and their local distribution networks (franchisees, dealers, affiliates) to deliver hyper-local, personalized promotions—Great Clips is cited as a notable Journey 121 customer.
-
April 18, 2024
- Buyer
- SixSpeed
- Target
- KC Truth
- Seller
- Sue Kruskopf
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Minneapolis-based creative agency SixSpeed has acquired longtime Minneapolis media and creative agency KC Truth. The deal brings KC Truth's integrated media strategy and global placement capabilities into SixSpeed's offering and coincides with founder Sue Kruskopf stepping back from day-to-day operations.
-
December 14, 2023
- Buyer
- Cohere Capital, Graycliff Partners LP, Brookside Capital Partners
- Target
- Phaedon
- Seller
- ICF Next, ICF International (ICFI)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Divestiture
Cohere Capital has acquired Phaedon, the former U.S. Commercial Engagement division of ICF Next/ICF International, creating a standalone, technology-enabled digital engagement and loyalty business. Graycliff Partners provided a unitranche debt financing and equity co-investment to support the deal, with Brookside Capital Partners investing alongside Graycliff.
-
November 16, 2023
- Buyer
- EventLink, Fort Point Capital
- Target
- Clamor
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Addon
EventLink, a portfolio company of Fort Point Capital, has acquired Clamor, an award-winning experiential and strategic marketing agency based in Minneapolis. The add-on expands EventLink's mobile tour and experiential capabilities, bringing additional scale, creative talent, and national reach to its services.
-
June 6, 2023
- Buyer
- Monomoy Capital Partners
- Target
- Japs-Olson Company
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Monomoy Capital Partners acquired Japs-Olson Company, a family-owned direct mail and commercial printing provider headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Monomoy intends to use Japs-Olson as a platform to expand in the direct mail marketing and print production sector, leveraging the company’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities and longstanding customer relationships.
-
January 25, 2023
- Buyer
- Grocery TV
- Target
- Mediaworks Advertising Solutions
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Grocery TV, an in-store retail media network, has acquired Mediaworks Advertising Solutions, a Minneapolis-based provider of digital sanitizer-station displays used in supermarkets. The acquisition expands Grocery TV’s full-store product lineup and adds Mediaworks’ sanitizer dispensers and retailer relationships (including Schnucks, Cub, and Lunds & Byerlys) to Grocery TV’s network.
-
November 1, 2022
- Buyer
- broadhead
- Target
- Fame
- Seller
- Lynne Robertson, Omnicom Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Independent marketing agency broadhead has acquired Minneapolis-based experiential agency Fame. The deal expands broadhead's experiential marketing capabilities and brings Fame's clients and leadership (Lynne Robertson to remain president) into broadhead's national offering.
-
October 4, 2022
- Buyer
- Market Performance Group
- Target
- The Creative Partners Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Market Performance Group (MPG) has acquired The Creative Partners Group (The CPG) to expand its omnichannel strategy and services capabilities across Target and the broader retail marketplace. The transaction brings The CPG’s team and capabilities — including omnichannel marketplace growth, retail intelligence, category management, and creative/design — into MPG to strengthen its offerings for CPG brands and retailers.
-
August 18, 2022
- Buyer
- MedTech Momentum
- Target
- Wax Marketing
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
MedTech Momentum, a full-service healthcare marketing agency based in the greater Orlando area, has acquired Wax Marketing, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based marketing communications agency. Wax Marketing founder Bonnie Harris will join MedTech Momentum as Vice President of Strategy to deepen the buyer's strategic marketing communications capabilities; financial terms were not disclosed.
-
August 16, 2022
- Buyer
- The Vomela Companies
- Target
- Visual Impact LLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
On August 16, 2022, The Vomela Companies acquired Visual Impact LLC of Blaine, Minnesota. The acquisition expands Vomela’s specialty graphics and out-of-home advertising capabilities across retail, hospitality and events, complementing its existing operations across 23 U.S. and Canadian locations.
-
- Buyer
- Franklin Madison, Mill Point Capital
- Target
- SeQuel Response
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Addon
Franklin Madison, a portfolio company of Mill Point Capital, has acquired Minnesota-based direct marketing agency SeQuel Response as an add-on to its FM Engage agency services division. The deal is intended to strengthen Franklin Madison's services and capabilities in data-driven direct response and to accelerate growth for both companies and their clients.
-
June 13, 2022
- Buyer
- Bow River Capital
- Target
- One10 LLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Denver-based private equity firm Bow River Capital has completed a strategic growth investment in One10 LLC, a Minneapolis-based provider of incentives, recognition, marketing services and events. The capital will support One10's expansion of its proprietary incentive and recognition technology, broader service offerings and global growth initiatives.
-
- Buyer
- The Alesco Group, LLC
- Target
- TriMax Direct (List Management and Brokerage business of KVK Worldwide LLC)
- Seller
- KVK Worldwide LLC
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Divestiture
The Alesco Group acquired the List Management and Brokerage business of KVK Worldwide LLC (dba TriMax Direct) in a transaction that closed on June 1, 2022. TriMax Direct, a St. Paul-based outsourced data, research and marketing agency, was sold to Alesco to expand Alesco's data management, analytics and list brokerage capabilities.
-
April 1, 2022
- Buyer
- Stamats Communications, Inc.
- Target
- TriMax Direct (KVK Worldwide LLC) — Audience Management and Fulfillment Business
- Seller
- KVK Worldwide LLC (dba TriMax Direct)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Divestiture
Stamats Communications acquired the Audience Management and Fulfillment business of KVK Worldwide LLC (dba TriMax Direct) in a transaction that closed on April 1, 2022. Generational Equity advised KVK/TriMax on the sale; the acquisition brings TriMax’s data, list brokerage, and fulfillment capabilities into Stamats’ digital marketing and audience-management offerings.
-
February 25, 2022
- Buyer
- Affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management (Cerberus-led investor group)
- Target
- IWCO Direct
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
An investor group led by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management has acquired ownership of IWCO Direct and completed a $55 million capital investment to strengthen the company's balance sheet. The transaction positions IWCO to expand its data-driven direct marketing solutions and appoints Gary Masse as CEO to lead growth and capability investments.
-
- Buyer
- Clearview Capital Fund IV, L.P. (Clearview Capital), Canopy Capital Management, LLC (Canopy Capital Partners)
- Target
- Portu-Sunberg Marketing, LLC (Portu Sunberg)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Addon
Clearview Capital Fund IV and Canopy Capital Management acquired Portu-Sunberg Marketing and merged it with their existing portfolio company I+B (Infinity Worlds and Belmont Partners) to create a leading provider of sales and marketing services for consumer brands at major U.S. retailers and e-commerce platforms. Portu-Sunberg, headquartered in Minneapolis, provides sales and marketing, creative services, data insights and account management, and will operate as a division of the combined I+B holding company.
-
September 7, 2021
- Buyer
- Capillary Technologies
- Target
- Persuade
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Singapore-headquartered Capillary Technologies has acquired Minneapolis-based customer experience and loyalty company Persuade, marking Capillary's first U.S. acquisition. The deal expands Capillary's presence in North America and strengthens its loyalty and digital CX capabilities by integrating Persuade's loyalty platform and expertise.
-
August 9, 2021
- Buyer
- H.I.G. Capital
- Target
- The Bluebird Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
An affiliate of H.I.G. Capital has made an equity investment in The Bluebird Group, a Minneapolis-based retail services and consulting firm. The investment will support Bluebird's expansion and development of next-generation digital insights and analytics to enhance services for consumer brands.
-
April 20, 2021
- Buyer
- Bold Orange Company (BOCO)
- Target
- Three Deep Marketing
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Bold Orange Company (BOCO), a Minneapolis-based customer experience agency, has acquired St. Paul-based digital agency Three Deep Marketing. The acquisition adds performance marketing, digital media and Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementation capabilities to Bold Orange’s existing content, UX/UI and CRM offerings to create a more complete end-to-end customer experience service for clients.
-
February 25, 2021
- Buyer
- GlynnDevins
- Target
- Bluespire
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
GlynnDevins, a Kansas City–based data and technology-enabled marketing firm, acquired Bluespire, an integrated marketing agency focused on regulated industries including senior living, finance and healthcare. The deal adds Bluespire's proprietary scalable services platform and marketing technology capabilities to GlynnDevins' portfolio to expand its service offering and drive client lead generation and conversion.
-
November 17, 2020
- Buyer
- The Stable
- Target
- Jacobs Marketing
- Seller
- Jacobs Marketing, Jackie Gibney
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
The Stable, a commerce and retail-launch agency, has acquired Minneapolis-based Jacobs Marketing. The acquisition folds Jacobs’ staff of more than 50 into The Stable to bolster its retail activation, analytics and insights capabilities and expand its Minneapolis footprint.
-
November 16, 2020
- Buyer
- Momentum3
- Target
- CRC Marketing Solutions
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Tulsa-based Momentum3 has acquired Minneapolis/Edina-based CRC Marketing Solutions. The deal combines CRC's strategic marketing, branding, UI/UX and web development capabilities with Momentum3's software and digital services, expanding Momentum3's service offerings and regional presence.
-
February 11, 2020
- Buyer
- OneTouchPoint
- Target
- Bluewater
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
OneTouchPoint, a managed marketing services company based in Hartland, Wisconsin, has acquired Bluewater, a Bloomington, Minnesota-based digital marketing agency. The deal brings Bluewater's online and digital capabilities into OneTouchPoint's portfolio to create an integrated end-to-end online and offline marketing solution focused on franchise and multi-unit organizations.
-
February 5, 2020
- Buyer
- ComQi, AU Optronics
- Target
- JohnRyan
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
ComQi, a digital signage and shopper-engagement software provider (and subsidiary of AU Optronics), has acquired JohnRyan, a retail marketing agency and enterprise content management platform provider focused on financial services. Both companies will continue to operate independently under the AU Optronics umbrella while leveraging shared technology, domain expertise and geographic reach.
-
January 15, 2020
- Buyer
- Gemspring Capital
- Target
- Skyline Displays (Skyline Exhibits), TradeTec
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Gemspring Capital’s affiliate has completed simultaneous acquisitions of Skyline Displays, a provider of trade-show exhibits and event services, and TradeTec, Skyline’s largest independent dealer. The combined business will operate under the Skyline brand as Gemspring supports growth, dealer consolidation and expanded service and rental capabilities across the U.S. and internationally.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of marketing and advertising businesses are being acquired in Minnesota?
The deals span marketing agencies and experiential marketing firms, retail media/in-store advertising providers, and marketing technology (SaaS) platforms for multi-location brands.
Which deal themes show up most often across these Minnesota acquisitions?
Recurring themes include expanding experiential marketing capabilities, adding retail-media/DSP or placement technology, and strengthening marketing tech/analytics used for personalized or hyper-local marketing.
Are there examples of private equity involvement in Minnesota marketing acquisitions?
Yes. Multiple transactions name private equity buyers or partners, such as Mountaingate Capital and financing/co-investment roles from Graycliff Partners LP and Brookside Capital Partners in the Cohere Capital acquisition of Phaedon.
Where are the acquired companies located for these Minnesota deals?
Most of the listed targets are based in Minnesota, including areas such as Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park, with the acquiring platforms sometimes serving broader markets afterward.
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