Mod Op Expands B2B Marketing Capabilities with Acquisition of Ascend Marketing

Last updated Oct 17, 2025

Mod Op, a full-service digital marketing agency known for its blend of creativity, data science, and innovation, today announced the acquisition of Ascend Marketing, a tech-enabled, people-first marketing services firm specializing in B2B customer engagement, marketing technology enablement, and account-based marketing.

The move is intended to deepen Mod Op’s automation capabilities and establish a more robust end-to-end marketing solution for clients, spanning strategy through demand generation, CRM integrations, customer journeys, and renewal/expansion stages of the customer lifecycle.

Key Details of the Deal

Strategic Fit: Ascend brings strengths in marketing automation, intent data, journey mapping, and ABM (account-based marketing), which complements Mod Op’s existing strengths in creative, media, technical execution, and data-driven insight.
Leadership Integration: Laura Stevenson (formerly of Ascend) will join Mod Op in the role of Executive Vice President, helping to scale the combined capabilities. Rich Herbst, founder and managing partner of Ascend, moves into a senior role as EVP, Client Solutions at Mod Op.
Client & Tech Portfolio: Ascend’s client base includes major enterprise names (e.g. Verizon, Nokia, RingCentral) and its technology stack encompasses platforms like HubSpot and Adobe Marketo Engage. Ascend is also SOC 2 certified, underlining its commitment to data security and compliance.
No Financial Terms Disclosed: The companies have not made the financial terms of the acquisition public.

Why It’s Significant

Meeting Market Demand for Unified B2B Solutions
Companies increasingly want marketing partners who can deliver across strategy, creative, automation, data, and execution. Mod Op’s acquisition of Ascend addresses this demand by filling gaps in automation, martech, and lead engagement.
Improved Efficiency and Pipeline Velocity
With enhanced automation and intent-data tools, the combined firm is better positioned to help clients generate higher quality leads, accelerate the sales funnel, and optimize customer experiences.
Data, Compliance, and Trust
Having SOC 2 certification and strong martech governance is increasingly important for clients (especially B2B enterprises) managing sensitive customer data. This adds to Mod Op’s credibility in delivering secure solutions.
Scale and Geographic Footprint
The acquisition expands Mod Op’s depth and breadth in B2B marketing, reinforcing its growth strategy via acquisitions and setting it up to offer more comprehensive services under one roof.

Implications & Challenges

Integration Risk: As with many acquisitions, integrating teams, platforms, and processes will be key. Aligning culture, establishing unified workflows, and harmonizing tools will determine how seamless the combined offering becomes.
Competition: The B2B martech and agency landscape is crowded. Clients will be evaluating not just breadth of service but also mastery whether “one-stop shop” agencies can maintain high quality across all components (creative, automation, strategy, etc.).
Client Retention: Existing clients of both firms will be watching closely will they continue to receive the same attention, innovation, and service? Mod Op and Ascend will need to ensure continuity while scaling.
Rapid Technology Change: Martech, data privacy regulations, and customer expectations evolve fast. Investing continuously in tools, talent, and compliance will be essential to avoid obsolescence.

What to Watch Next

New Combined Product Offerings: Look for the rollout of new packages or services that bundle strategy, creative, automation, data, and customer engagement more tightly.
Client Case Studies: Early wins (or failures) in client work post-integration will shed light on how successful the acquisition is in practice.
Talent Moves: How Mod Op retains (or loses) key talent from both firms, and whether there are further leadership hires to scale operations.
Market Response: How competitors react—potentially via their own expansions, partnerships, or pricing to match the full-stack capabilities Mod Op is pushing.
Financial Impact: Eventually, metrics like revenue growth, profitability, margin effects from integrating Ascend, and the ability to scale will show whether this move delivers the value Mod Op expects.

Bottom Line

Mod Op’s acquisition of Ascend Marketing marks a strong play in the B2B agency space, one that aims to unify strategy, technology, automation, and customer experience under a single roof. If executed well, this could help Mod Op deliver more measurable, end-to-end growth for its clients and secure stronger competitive positioning. The real test, however, will lie in how effectively the firms combine their strengths and respond to evolving B2B marketing demands.