Marketing & Advertising Acquisitions in Ohio

Ignite Visibility has acquired EverConnect, the marketing technology and lead-generation platform of EverCommerce, expanding Ignite's national-to-local digital marketing capabilities for multi-location and franchise service brands. The acquisition — Ignite's fourth since partnering with Mountaingate Capital — brings EverConnect's SEO, website development, directory and performance lead-generation capabilities into Ignite's platform; financing and advisory support were provided by Capital Southwest Corporation, Main Street Capital, Canaccord Genuity and others.

Finland-based, private-equity-backed marketing group Luxid has acquired U.S.-based B2B agency TriComB2B to accelerate its U.S. expansion and strengthen its B2B marketing capabilities. TriComB2B’s principals will lead Luxid’s U.S. business, and the combined company now totals more than 160 employees (TriComB2B ~40 employees).

Adcom, a Cleveland-based integrated marketing agency, has acquired Spark Your Brand, Inc., a Beachwood, Ohio branding and merchandising agency that serves retail, wholesale and ecommerce clients. Spark will operate as a business unit within Adcom with CEO Randy Golenberg remaining in place, with the deal intended to expand Adcom's branding and merchandising capabilities and deepen its presence in the building products/retail end markets.

Scorpion has acquired Get Noticed Get Found (GNGF), a small digital marketing agency focused on law firms, as part of its ongoing consolidation strategy in the legal marketing space. The acquisition will give GNGF clients access to Scorpion's AI-driven marketing technology and broader suite of digital services, while strengthening Scorpion's legal vertical capabilities.

MindgruveMacarta announced a merger with Icon Commerce, the largest independent commerce agency in the Midwest, combining capabilities in omnichannel commerce, retail media, DTC and marketplace services. The deal expands MindgruveMacarta's Midwest footprint (Icon is headquartered in Cincinnati) and broadens the combined agency's service offering for consumer, CPG, retail and B2B clients.

Hibu Inc., a H.I.G. Capital portfolio company, has acquired RevLocal, LLC, a Columbus-based digital marketing services provider for SMBs and multi-location brands. The deal expands Hibu's local market presence and capabilities by integrating RevLocal's customers, products and teams into Hibu's subscription-based, technology-enabled digital marketing platform.

The Shipyard has acquired Fahlgren Mortine, a national integrated communications and public relations agency, creating a combined independent platform with expanded PR, media buying and data capabilities. The deal preserves Fahlgren Mortine's brand and leadership, follows a prior minority investment in The Shipyard from Alaris Equity Partners, and brings the combined company to approximately $350 million in billings and roughly 400 professionals across 10 offices.

Cart.com has acquired Amify, a provider of Amazon optimization and advertising services, to strengthen its Marketplace Services and expand capabilities for mid‑market and enterprise brands. Amify’s full team — including founder Ethan McAfee and CEO Chris Mehrabi, who will lead Cart.com’s Professional Services as Chief Delivery Officer — will integrate into Cart.com to deliver expanded omnichannel software, services and logistics.

BRANDITO, a Richmond-based marketing services platform, has acquired PromoSpark, a branded merchandise distributor headquartered in Fairfield, Ohio. PromoSpark's local Midwest market expertise, customer-service reputation and Fairfield distribution center will be integrated into BRANDITO to expand its market presence and better serve enterprise clients; PromoSpark founder Sarah Johnston will continue as Director of BRANDITO's Midwest Division.

Chicago-based integrated marketing communications agency Motion is acquiring Cincinnati-based strategic communications firm Rick Miller Communications, effective January 1, 2024. The deal expands Motion's Midwest footprint and adds public relations, content and crisis communications capabilities to its service offering.

GotPhoto, the people-photography workflow and e‑commerce platform, has acquired Next Gen Photo Solutions, a full-service digital graphics company that creates dynamic sports graphics, memory mates and virtual group images. The acquisition will integrate Next Gen's graphics capabilities into GotPhoto's platform and support product investments aimed at automating sports graphic creation and expanding GotPhoto's outsourced image-creation services for high-volume photographers.

Intouch Insight Ltd. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Brand Equity Builders Inc. (the parent of Alta360 Research Inc. and Ardent Retail Services Inc.) to expand its customer experience measurement and in‑store services capabilities in the United States. The deal consideration is US$3.125M in cash plus a promissory note and contingent payments; Alta reported calendar 2022 revenue of US$5.0M and 8% EBITDA, and the seller's CEO Stanley Hart will join Intouch upon closing.

Alaris Equity Partners (through its subsidiary Alaris Equity Partners USA, Inc.) invested US$59.5 million in marketing agency The Shipyard, comprised of preferred equity and a minority common equity stake, with an additional US$5.5 million tranche contingent on performance. The capital provides a partial liquidity event to existing equity holders and is intended to fuel The Shipyard's growth while preserving management control.

MSouth Equity Partners has acquired Fern Exposition Services and will combine the business with Nth Degree, an existing MSouth portfolio company, to expand its footprint in the in-person event and experiential marketing industry. Gladstone Investment Corporation provided senior secured debt and an equity investment to support the transaction; financial terms were not disclosed.

Emotive.io, an all-in-one growth platform for eCommerce brands, has acquired Bloom Digital, a digital marketing agency specializing in SMS, email and paid advertising. The acquisition expands Emotive's services (now branded Emotive Services) and enables the launch of Emotive Attribution to provide unified, first-party attribution for merchants.

The Wolfe Companies, LLC has acquired Reaf Marketing, an independent Cincinnati-based agency specializing in B2B gift card sales and marketing. The acquisition expands Wolfe's merchant solutions and gift-card capabilities by integrating Reaf's merchant relationships and expertise into Wolfe's existing fintech and gifting platform portfolio.

PubMatic has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Martin, a media measurement and reporting platform, to accelerate its supply path optimization (SPO) product roadmap. The acquisition will integrate Martin’s workflow, analytics and optimization capabilities into PubMatic’s platform to better serve buy-side customers and drive increased publisher revenue.

WILsquare Capital, a St. Louis-based private equity firm, has completed the acquisition of OuterBox Solutions, LLC, a performance-driven digital marketing agency headquartered in Copley, Ohio. Terms were not disclosed; OuterBox's founder and senior leaders will remain with the business as WILsquare positions OuterBox as a platform for continued growth in performance marketing, eCommerce and adjacent channels.

Icon Marketing Communications, an omnichannel commerce agency based in Covington, Kentucky, acquired Toledo-based ecommerce agency Spaceshop in April 2022 to expand its ecommerce, marketplace (Amazon) and web development capabilities. The founders of Spaceshop will remain with the combined business and join Icon's leadership team as the agency scales Midwest-focused commerce services.

Mod Op, a Miami-based marketing communications agency backed by Alterna Equity Partners, has acquired Ohio-based AMG Marketing Resources (parent of Tenlo and NSRC). The acquisition expands Mod Op's digital capabilities and Midwest footprint following Alterna's recent investment and will integrate AMG's team into Mod Op's Ohio office.

Smith, a performance commerce agency, has acquired Columbus-based digital marketing agency Adept. The acquisition expands Smith's digital marketing, user experience and front-end development capabilities and gives Adept clients access to Smith's enterprise platform expertise (SAP, Adobe, Salesforce, Sitecore).

Graphic Village purchased the Cincinnati operations of OneTouchPoint on December 30, 2021, acquiring personnel, equipment and the local customer base in a divestiture by OneTouchPoint. The deal will transition the Cincinnati facility's operations to Graphic Village’s Blue Ash, Ohio site and expands Graphic Village’s print, marketing and mailing capabilities in the Cincinnati region.

Mountaingate Capital, a Denver-based middle-market buy-and-build private equity firm, has acquired Relevate Health Group, a Cincinnati-based data-driven healthcare marketing agency. Immediately following Mountaingate's investment, Relevate (backed by Mountaingate) acquired Arteric, a digital-native agency providing machine learning–based multichannel programs, creating a combined data- and ML-driven healthcare marketing platform.

GlynnDevins, a Kansas City-based data- and technology-enabled marketing firm, has acquired Linkmedia 360, a digital, data-driven marketing agency based in Independence, Ohio. The acquisition expands GlynnDevins' digital and analytics capabilities to strengthen lead-generation and performance marketing services for its clients.

Cincinnati-based marketing technology and services provider Vya has acquired Direct Options, a customer data management and analytics firm, to expand Vya's marketing resource management capabilities. The acquisition adds marketing data management and analytics to Vya's offering, enabling capability expansion and broader service delivery to utility and other enterprise clients.

Primary Hosting, a Cincinnati-based cloud brokerage, has acquired Mobile Agent Now, a review monitoring and response platform. Terms were not disclosed; Mobile Agent Now founder Mark Jeffreys will transition operational control to Christopher Brock, CEO of Primary Hosting, as the service is integrated into Primary Hosting’s cloud brokerage offering to expand its customer engagement and reputation-management capabilities.

Graphic Village has acquired DMS ink (formerly Dayton Mailing Services), a Yellow Springs-based provider of personalized digital-mailing, marketing automation, and fulfillment services. The DMS ink team and operations will continue at the Yellow Springs facility under the Graphic Village name; former owner Christine Soward will remain as VP of Business Development for mailing services.

Rx EDGE Media Network, part of LeveragePoint Media, has acquired Brandperx, an Ohio-based point-of-care marketing company that provides access to hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers. The deal expands Rx EDGE’s capabilities and channel reach for pharmaceutical clients by adding Brandperx’s doctor’s-office network and point-of-care solutions.

Graphic Village, a portfolio company of Revitalize Capital, has acquired Intrinzic, a Greater Cincinnati brand development and strategic communications consultancy. Intrinzic will operate as a division of Graphic Village with its team relocating to Graphic Village’s Blue Ash offices and its leadership joining Graphic Village’s management team, expanding Graphic Village’s suite of marketing and brand capabilities.

Graphic Village has acquired Millennium Resources, a Cincinnati-based provider of print marketing, fulfillment and training support services. The deal was driven by the founders' succession planning and aims to expand Graphic Village's service capabilities and support for Millennium's national client base.

GSI Commerce's Global Marketing Services division has acquired ClearSaleing, a Columbus, Ohio-based provider of advertising analytics and attribution technology. ClearSaleing will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of GSI's Global Marketing Services division to broaden the division's digital marketing and analytics capabilities; terms were not disclosed.