Fors Marsh acquires BARÚ Advertising and the Wandersman Center
Fors Marsh announced the acquisition of BARÚ Advertising, a California-based multicultural marketing agency that, states a release, is known for “cross-cultural work that helps organizations connect with audiences in ways that are relevant, grounded, and rooted in storytelling.
“The acquisition establishes a meaningful Fors Marsh presence in California, the second-largest state buyer of its services in the country, and strengthens the company’s ability to reach and move communities across the state.”
BARÚ’s client portfolio spans some of California’s most significant public-facing programs, including the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Child Support Services, Covered California, First 5 California, CalKIDS, and most recently the CalHOPE crisis counseling campaign, alongside the entertainment space.<
“For years, BARÚ has driven transformational statewide campaigns by ensuring the real voices of California are at the center of our work,” said Elizabeth Barrutia, founder and president of BARÚ Advertising. “We are incredibly excited to join Fors Marsh. With this partnership, we deepen our dedication to creating highly impactful work, moving beyond awareness and education to truly shaping resilient communities.”
“BARÚ has built something rare: a California agency with deep community roots, a strong creative voice, and a track record of moving people,” said Ben Garthwaite, CEO of Fors Marsh. “With this, we enter the California market decisively and with intention. We now have a sharpened ability to move people and drive real change in one of the largest states in our country.”
GrowthLab advised on the transaction and connected the two firms.
“This was a strong strategic match—pairing Fors Marsh’s deep federal and communications expertise with BARÚ’s California presence to accelerate growth in a critical, well-funded market.” said Mike Kapetanovic, Founder of GrowthLab.
Fors Marsh also announced the acquisition of the Wandersman Center, a leader in implementation science, known for methods that help organizations plan, implement, and continuously improve programs so they deliver results in practice. Its work has supported clients such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), South Carolina, and the U.S. Air Force.
These acquisitions, state the release, give Fors Marsh “a stronger platform to connect with communities, move people to action, and ensure programs deliver results in practice.”
