From left, Jane Olvera Majors and Julie Lucido have merged their marketing firms in Fresno. Photo contributed

A pair of Fresno-based marketing agencies have joined forces.

HYPHEN, formerly JP Marketing, announced Tuesday that it has merged with Marketing Plus, specializing in food and agriculture marketing for over four decades.

The merger, effective today, combines the agencies under the HYPHEN name and will see the two strengthen their ability to serve food and agriculture clients, according to a news release.

“For decades, Marketing Plus has built lasting relationships by creating brands recognized across the food and ag industry,” said Marketing Plus President and CEO Julie Lucido. “Becoming part of HYPHEN amplifies our existing strengths with enhanced digital, media, and research capabilities, while continuing the trusted attention and expertise our ag clients count on.”

With the merger, 30-year-old HYPHEN expands its industry knowledge and network, combining them with behavioral science-based creative strategies to deliver more effective services for both businesses and consumers, according to the release.

Clients will also benefit from a broader suite of offerings, from product naming and brand development to photography, videography, content creation, websites and more.

Existing client relationships look to benefit from the expanded team, now totaling 26 professionals, enhancing HYPHEN’s capability and capacity.

“Business owners and marketing directors are navigating more complexity than ever,” said Jane Olvera Majors, president and founder of HYPHEN. “Joining forces with Marketing Plus allows us to significantly deepen our expertise and capacity in across our service offerings, in particular tradeshow activations which we have utilized Marketing Plus’ services for years. Now we’re a fully integrated offering for our clients.”

Founded in 1994 as JP Marketing, HYPHEN underwent a rebrand in December 2024 and is guided by a “find a way” ethos, blending proven methods with fresh perspectives to create their marketing campaigns.

As for the leadership structure post-merger, Jeanna Antonino remains CEO; Josh Durham continues as chief technical officer; Johnna Johnson serves as vice president of marketing and client services; Founder Jane Olvera Majors serves as vice president of strategy and development; and Julie Lucido also serves as vice president of strategy and development.