The trend: The marketing and agency ecosystem is undergoing strategic transformation this year, driven by acquisitions in AI, experiential, and sports marketing. These moves are reinforced by macro shifts in platform economics, media rights values, and evolving media consumption habits.

AI becomes an operational mandate: Several acquisitions this year signal that AI is no longer a future bet—it's a present imperative.

• R/GA’s acquires AI studio Addition. This marks R/GA’s first buy in five decades, bringing high-value, rapid prototyping and AI-assisted coding capabilities. The acquisition aims to embed AI fluency across its entire creative and prototyping stack.
• Real Chemistry buys out Greater Than One. This move brings proprietary healthcare media planning tools under its AI ecosystem—serving top clients like AstraZeneca and Gilead.
• Attivo obtains TNP. The buy builds AI-led digital marketing capabilities and US market reach.
• The Shipyard purchases TinyWins. The deal expands its AI, Web3, and app development offerings.

These acquisitions align with marketer expectations: 53.7% of US brand and agency marketers cite increased operational efficiency and time saved on manual tasks as key AI success metrics. Top AI use cases include writing social content (44%), SEO analysis (43%), and data/report analysis (40%)—all areas that these acquisitions aim to scale with talent and tech.

Experiential surges: Deals like BeCore’s acquisition by Underdog and JetFuel joining Stagwell, underscore the rebound and reconfiguration of experiential marketing.

This is supported by rising investment: Global experiential marketing spending hit $128.35 billion in 2024, up from $116.1 billion in 2023. In the US, experiential/sponsorship ad spending is set to grow 8.0% in 2025, bucking the decline across most offline channels.

Sports land grab intensifies: Publicis is doubling down in sports and culture with two key acquisitions: Adopt, rooted in Nike and Klutch Sports culture with clients like LeBron James and Lululemon, and Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, with a portfolio that includes Navy Federal and Duke’s Mayo. These firms now strengthen Publicis Sports and its culturally resonant offerings.

M&C Saatchi also expanded its regional sports footprint by acquiring UAE-based Dune 23 tapping into one of the fastest-growing sports entertainment regions globally.

Why the rush into sports? Because the market is booming. The total media rights value of global sports properties is forecast to reach $66.6 billion in 2026, up from just $41.1 billion in 2020—a 62% increase in six years. This trend is tightly linked to the digital pivot: The number of US digital live sports viewers will grow from 105.3 million in 2024 to 133 million in 2028, representing nearly 38% of the US population.

TV ad spend around women’s sports is also on the rise, attracting support from sectors like auto, pharma, internet/telecom, and finance. The top seven categories alone account for over $159 million in spend—each seeking audience affinity and social alignment.

Our take: Across AI, experiential, and sports, marketers are prioritizing practicality—favoring solutions that deliver measurable efficiency and impact.