Marketing & Advertising Acquisitions in Texas

Houston-based EWR Digital has acquired Modalpoint, an oil and gas market-insight and commercialization-strategy brand founded by Mark LaCour. The acquisition expands EWR Digital's advisory and marketing capabilities for oil & gas and other industrial B2B markets, with Modalpoint operating as an energy market insight and research platform under EWR ownership.

Mod Op, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Miami, has acquired Ascend Marketing, a tech-enabled marketing services firm that specializes in marketing automation, martech enablement, and account-based marketing (ABM). The deal expands Mod Op's end-to-end B2B marketing capabilities by adding advanced data, automation and CRM integration expertise to its service offering.

CQL, a Shopify Platinum digital commerce agency based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has acquired Riess Group, a Shopify Platinum partner with offices in France and Texas, to create a leading unified commerce agency combining ecommerce and point-of-sale (POS) expertise. Riess Group founder Mike Riess will join CQL as VP of Unified Commerce and Managing Director, EMEA, as the combined firm expands capabilities to serve mid-market through enterprise retail, fashion and entertainment brands.

Centerfield, a Platinum Equity–backed digital customer acquisition platform, has acquired ConsumerVoice, a digital commerce platform that curates and promotes products on sites including ConsumerVoice.org and BuyersReport.org. The add-on expands Centerfield's digital commerce capabilities and audience reach, enabling cross-sell opportunities for Centerfield's Dugout platform and serving new categories for its brand clients.

Edge226, a mobile-first performance marketing platform, has acquired Adscend Media, an Austin-based provider of rewarded advertising solutions and the industry-leading Offerwall. The deal expands Edge226's cross-channel capabilities—combining in-app, CTV, and reward-based advertising—to offer a unified performance marketing solution and drive higher ROAS for advertisers.

Conquer.io has acquired Full Circle Insights to combine sales engagement and marketing attribution capabilities into a unified Salesforce-native platform. Origami Capital Partners provided financing to support Conquer's acquisition, enabling capability expansion and greater analytics-driven value for revenue teams.

TBA Worldwide has acquired SaleSurf Growth, a performance-driven Amazon marketing agency founded in 2022. SaleSurf Growth will operate as a standalone agency within the TBA Worldwide collective, bringing Amazon marketplace optimization and PPC capabilities to the network's DTC and e-commerce clients.

Ignite Visibility, a San Diego-based digital marketing agency backed by Mountaingate Capital, has acquired Outliant, a web development and digital marketing firm that specializes in complex, multi-location clients. The deal expands Ignite Visibility’s technical web development capabilities and grows its team to over 350 professionals; financing was provided by Capital Southwest Corporation.

Trinity Hunt Partners has made an investment in TNT Dental, a Richardson, Texas–based digital marketing agency that provides SEO, paid media, and custom website development to dental practices. The investment establishes a specialized digital marketing platform focused on dental, legal, home services, and elective medical clients; TNT Dental's existing CEO Tom Gildersleeve will continue to lead the company alongside co-founders Tim Healy and Tim Kelley. Terms were not disclosed.

Romph Pou Agency (RP Agency), a Shreveport-based data-driven marketing firm, has acquired Tyler, Texas-based Twenty East Advertising and its sister companies Lead Dog Digital and 85 Out. The acquisition expands RP Agency's footprint in Texas and strengthens its traditional, digital and video production capabilities while preserving continuity for existing clients.

Radius Global Market Research has acquired Illuminas North America, a multidisciplinary market research and data-science consultancy headquartered in Austin, Texas. The acquisition enhances Radius’s capabilities in technology-focused research, data science and customer insights to better serve its global B2B clients; financial terms were not disclosed.

The Yadot Group has acquired Austin-based full-service advertising agency Hitch Media. The acquisition expands Yadot's integrated agency capabilities (creative, production, brand and performance media) and establishes a strategic anchor in the Austin market.

New State Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Irving, Texas-based The Expo Group, a provider of trade show and live event services across North America. The investment was made in partnership with Panos Partners and with reinvestment from The Expo Group's management and existing owners; New State plans to support organic growth and accelerate the company's trajectory through strategic M&A.

Benjamin Capital Partners has acquired New Thing Co., an Austin-based augmented reality (AR) rewards technology provider, to integrate AR into the Benjamin app's consumer cash-rewards 'Money Moments' marketplace. The acquisition brings New Thing's founders into Benjamin's product and engineering leadership and follows a $13 million financing round to scale the app and expand into new verticals including commerce, payments and advertising.

Dallas-based Aletheia Marketing & Media Inc. has acquired Pluralytics, an AI-driven values-based content intelligence SaaS platform. The deal combines Pluralytics' ValuesFinder AI and behavioral-science models with Aletheia's media planning and campaign capabilities to deliver personalized, values-driven marketing solutions.

Nickelytics, a Tampa-based provider of data-driven advertising solutions, has acquired On Touch Go, a programmatic DSP focused on digital out-of-home (DOOH) and rideshare screens. The deal gives Nickelytics access to On Touch Go's platform and more than 60,000 rideshare screens nationwide, enhancing its targeted advertising, analytics and mobility-focused DOOH offerings.

The Uptown Agency has acquired RBA, a Dallas-based, award-winning creative advertising agency and Inc. 5000 company. The acquisition will absorb RBA's team and client portfolio to expand The Uptown Agency's creative and media capabilities and accelerate growth across client offerings.

OuterBox, a portfolio company of WILsquare Capital, has acquired TopSpot, a Houston-based performance marketing agency specializing in B2B and industrial markets. The add-on deal expands OuterBox's digital marketing platform and capabilities (SEO, paid search, web development, analytics) to deepen its reach in the B2B/industrial sector; terms were not disclosed.

DevRight, LLC has acquired DTX Media, LLC, a Dallas-based corporate video production company; the transaction closed on May 17, 2024. The acquisition expands DevRight’s audio/visual and event production capabilities, combining DTX’s video and photography services with DevRight’s speaker development, brand and event offerings to provide a broader suite of services to corporate and event clients.

BarkleyOKRP (a Keystone Capital portfolio company) has acquired digital performance marketing agency Adlucent from Advantage Solutions. The add-on expands BarkleyOKRP's e-commerce, retail media and performance marketing capabilities and brings Adlucent's ~180 employees and proprietary technology into the combined agency.

Hahn, a predictive marketing and PR agency based in Austin, has acquired MedVoice PR, an Austin-based health communications agency founded by Emily Schmitz. Schmitz will join Hahn as Senior Strategist in Hahn's newly formed Health & Nutrition practice led by Jen Cannon; financial terms were not disclosed. The deal adds health communications capability and medical-writing expertise to Hahn's food, beverage and health client offerings.

Aptitude 8, an Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner, has acquired WORQFLOW, a HubSpot-focused revenue operations and web development partner. The deal brings WORQFLOW’s team and expertise into Aptitude 8 to expand capabilities in CMS, CRM, and RevOps and better serve enterprise-level HubSpot customers.

Liquid Agency, a San Jose-based brand consulting and activation firm, has acquired Dallas-based employee branding and communications agency MindHandle to expand its employee experience (Ex) capabilities and better align Ex with customer and brand experience (Cx and Bx). MindHandle CEO Eric Harris will join Liquid Agency as practice lead for employee experience, and Liquid will integrate MindHandle’s client portfolio and expertise into its broader consulting services.

BizCom Associates, a Dallas–Fort Worth-based integrated PR and marketing firm, has acquired franchise marketing and lead-generation agency Brand J (formerly Brand Journalists). The acquisition combines the two firms' franchise PR, lead generation and development marketing capabilities to create a broader full-service franchise marketing offering; terms were not disclosed.

Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA) has acquired the assets of Forward Vision LLC, a women-owned, Dallas-based B2B marketing communications agency specializing in technology and network infrastructure. The deal brings Forward Vision's team, executives and 13 client brands into JSA, expanding JSA's PR, digital and global marketing capabilities for telecom, data centers, IoT and green tech clients.

Her Campus Media has acquired Zfluence, a Gen Z influencer marketing platform founded by Ava McDonald. The acquisition adds Zfluence's community of Gen Z creators and proprietary matching technology to Her Campus Media's portfolio, expanding its influencer marketing capabilities for brands targeting college-aged and Gen Z audiences.

PMG, a global full-funnel marketing and technology company, has acquired Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media, a Dallas-based independent media and marketing agency known for CTV/OTT and video buying. The acquisition adds nearly 160 Camelot employees and strengthens PMG's video, CTV/OTT, traditional media and measurement capabilities to enhance its integrated, data-informed offering.

Gravity Global, the B2B growth marketing consultancy backed by Elysian Capital III LP, has acquired 9thWonder, a full-service marketing agency based in Houston. The add-on expands Gravity's U.S. footprint and strengthens its data-, media- and creative capabilities as part of its ongoing U.S. expansion under Elysian's ownership.

The Futurum Group has acquired Austin-based B2B marketing services firm Visible Impact. The acquisition brings messaging, content, and sales enablement capabilities into The Futurum Group to support its go-to-market offerings and power its Futurum.AI-Demand tool.

Chicago-based digital experience agency Avionos has acquired Austin-based Integrous Marketing, a demand-generation and analytics-focused digital marketing agency. The acquisition expands Avionos’ paid/earned media and measurement capabilities to better support client acquisition and loyalty efforts; financial terms were not disclosed.

Capillary Technologies, a Bengaluru-based customer loyalty SaaS platform, has acquired Texas-headquartered Brierley+Partners to strengthen its presence in the United States and expand its loyalty services and capabilities. The purchase brings Brierley's 30+ years of loyalty strategy, program design and execution expertise into Capillary's AI-powered platform, accelerating product capabilities and go-to-market reach for enterprise clients.

Phase 3 Marketing and Communications, an Atlanta-based integrated marketing firm, has acquired Dallas-based Technology Media Group, Inc. (TMG). The acquisition adds TMG's large-format digital printing, fabrication, embroidery, branded merchandise and commercial signage capabilities to Phase 3's service offering and expands warehousing and distribution capacity for Phase 3 clients.

Matrix Imaging Solutions, a Lakelet Capital-backed customer communications provider, acquired DataProse (headquartered in Coppell, Texas) in a deal completed in September 2022. The acquisition adds transactional document design, output and presentment capabilities to Matrix's offering and is intended to expand product capabilities and extend Matrix's reach into additional verticals.

BrandWell (formerly Content at Scale) has completed the full acquisition of the Content Hacker brand, integrating Content Hacker's content strategy, training and community offerings into BrandWell’s AI-driven content platform. The deal brings Content Hacker founder Julia McCoy and her team into BrandWell to expand the company’s content strategy, creation, and optimization capabilities.

Ruder Finn has acquired Touchdown, a specialist enterprise technology public relations and communications agency. The deal adds 65 specialists and strengthens Ruder Finn's technology & innovation practice while expanding its presence in Austin, Texas and the U.K.

Chicago-based marketing firm Fusion92 has acquired Conversion Fanatics, an Austin-based conversion rate optimization specialist, to broaden its integrated marketing and performance optimization capabilities. The deal expands Fusion92's data-driven experimentation and optimization offerings, enabling faster marketing performance improvements for clients across e-commerce, SaaS and other verticals.

Locafy Limited (Nasdaq: LCFY) has acquired Jimmy Kelley Digital, an Austin-based SEO and e-commerce marketing firm led by Jimmy Kelley. The acquisition brings Kelley's technology and expertise into Locafy's SaaS local-search offering, and Kelley will join Locafy as Global Head of Search Technology.

Pittsburgh-based private equity firm Incline Equity Partners has acquired RKD Group, a Dallas-headquartered provider of omnichannel fundraising and marketing services to nonprofit organizations, from BV Investment Partners. Incline said it will invest to expand RKD's digital and data capabilities and pursue strategic acquisitions to drive growth.

Optimal (formerly Optimad Media) has relaunched under the Optimal brand and acquired Austin-based digital marketing agency Effective Spend to bolster its performance marketing capabilities. Effective Spend founder Brian Wulfe will join Optimal as executive vice president as the combined company expands its paid search, social, SEO, Amazon and retail media offerings across multiple end markets.

Stran & Company, Inc. signed an agreement to acquire the assets and business of Trend Brand Solutions, a Tomball, Texas–based promotional products and branded merchandise provider. The deal (asset purchase) will expand Stran's presence in the U.S. South—particularly the Houston market—and retains Trend's employees with Trend CEO Michael Krauser joining Stran as Regional Vice President for Texas.

Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BDA) has acquired Idea Planet, a Dallas-based consumer insight and merchandise innovations agency. The acquisition expands BDA's global reach and manufacturing, sourcing and distribution capabilities while allowing both firms to grow merchandise, collectibles and direct-to-consumer programs for enterprise clients.

Flexa announced it will acquire Drop Party, an Austin-based marketing technology firm that creates experiential merch drops and end-to-end fulfillment for brands. Drop Party's founders Marco Marandiz and Shayan Hashimoto will join Flexa to lead a new marketing offering (Marandiz will become Flexa's Chief Marketing Officer); terms were not disclosed.

Relevate Health has acquired Dallas-based ConneXion360 to expand its Healthcare Professional (HCP) omnichannel engagement capabilities, adding ConneXion360's Treatment Perspectives Recruitment Network, national broadcast/on-demand platform, and 1:1 key account messaging. The deal strengthens Relevate Health's data-driven ElevatedRelevance platform and broadens access to hard-to-reach health systems and HCPs; Relevate Health is PE-backed by Mountaingate Capital and this marks another add-on to its growth strategy.

Liberated Syndication Inc. (Libsyn) has closed its acquisition of Podcast Ad Reps LLC (PAR), integrating PAR's team and over 120 exclusive shows into Libsyn's AdvertiseCast advertising marketplace. The deal expands Libsyn's podcast ad inventory and adds host-read inventory and publisher relationships to accelerate its advertising business and programmatic efforts.

MNTN (Mountain Digital) has acquired QuickFrame, a video-creation and insights platform, and will rebrand it as QuickFrame by MNTN. The deal integrates QuickFrame’s creator marketplace and AI-driven video insights into MNTN’s Connected TV advertising and Creative-as-a-Subscription offering to streamline creative production and media activation for brands.

Associates International (Ai) made a minority investment in Global Research Group, Inc. (dba Prospect Direct), a Dallas-based lead generation company; the transaction closed on December 28, 2021. The investment provides Prospect Direct with capital and a strategic partner to support growth and expand its marketing implementation and lead-generation capabilities.

Houston-based brand experience firm BrandExtract has integrated Axiom, a 24-year branding and digital strategy agency, bringing the combined team to nearly 50 employees. The move expands BrandExtract’s capabilities in digital strategy, HubSpot, WordPress, animation/video production and deepens its B2B and B2C client offerings.

Professional Datasolutions, Inc. (PDI) has acquired Koupon, a digital promotions provider that helps CPG brands and convenience retailers deploy targeted offers. The deal expands PDI's Offer Network scale and capabilities—adding Koupon's experience delivering billions of offers and strengthening PDI's shopper engagement and age-verification functionality for age-restricted brands.

Scorpion, a provider of marketing technology and services for local businesses, has acquired MediaSmack, a boutique digital marketing agency serving law firms. The acquisition brings MediaSmack's legal-industry clients onto Scorpion's platform and expands Scorpion's specialized capabilities and client base in the legal sector.

Allant Group LLC, a subsidiary of VntCap Technologies LLC, has acquired Vektor Digital and Analytics, a Dallas-based CX-focused digital consultancy. The acquisition strengthens Allant's experience design, strategic consulting and technology enablement capabilities to accelerate its mid-market digital transformation and ecommerce offerings.