M&A, Private Equity & Capital in Communications: What Agency Owners Need to Know about Key Trends in 2025

Leading deal makers shared a number of takeaways for agency leaders around M&A, private equity and capital in communications in 2025 at the most recent CommPRO+CommunicationsMatch™ roundtable discussion for industry members on Jan 30.  

Investment banker Reed Phillips, CEO, Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips; Barri Rafferty, CEO, Sodali & Co, former Global CEO of Ketchum and EVP of Brand and Communications at Wells Fargo; and Brad Schwartzberg, Co-Head of Davis+Gilbert's Corporate and M&A Practices; outlined expectations for the coming year at the Capitalizing Communications breakfast.    

In a new article for CommPRO, “M&A in PR is Heating Up as Buyers Line Up for 2025 Acquisitions”, I detail insights from the discussion around the following five themes:

• Growth is the single most important thing for the potential acquirers driving industry consolidation

• The number of M&A transactions is expected to continue to grow in 2025

• From not being interested in acquiring agencies a decade ago, private equity is now an important driver of acquisitions, creating new options for agency sellers

• Agency owners interested in being acquired need to do their homework and understand the different motivations of holding company, strategic and PE buyers

• To increase the odds of being acquired, be prepared

"Agencies are great at servicing clients, awful at preparing for exit," Davis+Gilbert’s Brad Schwartzberg noted. Agency leaders need to take the time to ensure they are prepared for an acquisition when it comes.

Find out more about CommPRO+CommunicationsMatch™ industry memberships here.