The Latest

For years, the gold standard of paid social strategy was audience precision: layering in demographics, interests, behaviors, zip codes, and more to handcraft the perfect target. At Odney, we’ve long used advanced data tools to reach the right people with the right message at the right time. 

When Divide County Economic Development Council approached us in 2024, they faced a challenge familiar to many rural communities: people simply didn't know what they had to offer. The perception problem was significant as many people had little awareness of the quality of life and career opportunities available in northwest North Dakota. 

In Odney’s Bismarck office it’s hard to overlook the multi-tiered, long shelves displaying shiny Addy awards earned by our team over the years. In continuing this tradition, Odney was thrilled to add two new Silver awards, one in the Regional/National Single television spot category and the other for Regional/National television campaign category in the 2025 North Dakota Addy competition. These award-winning commercials were the only ones in North Dakota who earned an Addy in these very competitive categories. 

In March 2025 Crystal Bosch and Sarah Holbrook had the opportunity to visit Simpli.fi’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas for a strategy session focused on the evolving landscape of digital media. Their visit was both insightful and productive, as they discussed some of the most impactful developments in digital advertising today, focusing on native display, contextual targeting, and connected TV (CTV). 

Recruiting great talent isn’t about luck, it’s about building the right connections before you even need to hire. With nearly 70% of North Dakota businesses struggling to fill open roles, and many actively trying to grow, it’s clear: finding the right people is one of the biggest challenges companies face today. And while job boards and hiring blitzes may bring in applicants, the real solution starts long before the job listing goes live. 

When the City of Jamestown, North Dakota approached us in early 2024, they faced a common challenge that many communities grapple with, three separate entities each operating with their own distinct brand. Jamestown Tourism, the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Jamestown each had their own logo which resulted in a fragmented brand presence.
 

In the sprawling landscape of advertising and marketing, juggling paid, earned, and organic media can feel like herding cats. Each channel offers unique strengths, but without a central point of coordination, your efforts risk becoming fragmented and inefficient. That's where the hub strategy comes in, positioning your website as the nucleus of all your communication efforts. 

Odney is proud to welcome Mark Bonnette as our new Director of Traditional Media. With his proven track record in media leadership and strategic planning, Bonnette brings valuable expertise to our growing media department. 

Odney's creative department has been flourishing under the leadership of Natalie Bartelme, who serves as the agency's VP of Creative Strategy. Since stepping into this pivotal role, Bartelme has been instrumental in guiding our creative teams toward developing strategic, innovative, and impactful campaigns that consistently drive results for our clients. 

Utilizing humor to build brand awareness and customer loyalty is a tried-and-true approach to maximize ROI. Brands that can find consumers’ elusive funny bones make their messaging a welcome interruption. This is particularly true in today’s digital landscape, where most of the posts shared between friends are humorous. Bottom line, people like to laugh and feel good.

In an era where social media platforms continually evolve and privacy regulations tighten, the way brands approach audience targeting is shifting. The days of relying solely on interest-based or behavioral targeting are behind us and leveraging first-party data in paid social media efforts is key in achieving client goals. 

Out of home advertising includes a wide array of media. The best practice for maximizing your ROI requires understanding where, when and inherent limitations of each platform. Out of home media can include:

Odney is leading the creative strategy for North Dakota Tourism and Find the Good Life at golf's largest zero-waste event. With premium placement across four Members Club locations at holes 9, 12, 17, and 18, we're helping North Dakota connect with over 700,000 tournament attendees.

In the creative world of graphic design, there is no such thing as a fixed state of being. Nothing and no one is stationary and that suits Graphic Designer Mariah Braun just fine.

Kyle Niess, CEO and Partner at Odney, received this year's Prairie Business 40 Under 40 award. Each year Prairie Business magazine receives nominations of exceptional professionals from a number of industries and sectors who are making significant impacts in their organizations and communities. 

Email marketing has been around since the world first began hearing inbox notification sounds. Used well in a strategic communication plan, it is still highly useful for targeting both new audiences and those who have already opted in for messages. In other words, it is far from being ready for the junk folder. 

We're thrilled to announce the arrival – and return – of Ronne Ostby, a seasoned social marketing professional with an impressive 25-year track record of success developing and leading a range of federal-level campaigns. 

In the age of streaming services and endless mobile scrolling, it's easy to assume broadcast television is a relic of the past. 

For years, third-party cookies have been the backbone of digital advertising. These tiny bits of code tracked users across the web, allowing marketers to target ads with laser precision.

Senior Account Executive Beth Simon oversees some extremely complex strategic communication plans. They involve integration of every media type, both paid and earned — with seemingly a thousand things happening all at once, all the time. Doing that requires keeping sight of what’s important. For Beth, it’s people. 

As social media professionals we are always looking for ways to make our content creation easier. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be leveraged in our favor, helping to generate quality content more efficiently, automate post scheduling and optimize social campaigns.  

BISMARCK, N.D. — Odney, a leading advertising and public relations agency in North Dakota, announces a strategic business decision to shape our future. Effective January 1, we underwent an organizational shift, with the public affairs division being split into a separate entity.

Artificial intelligence has been getting quite the buzz lately. From self-driving cars that usually don’t crash, to taking and passing the Uniform Bar Exam (in the top 10%), AI has been advancing at breakneck speed. In fact, it’s just a matter of time until the first AI lawyer sues a self-driving car maker. 

In the mid-1990s, a talented foursome set out on a new course, teed up, and took an amazing swing at opening a start-up tech company in North Dakota. That firm, iNet Technologies, became a regional leader in web development. It also later became the interactive department of the Odney advertising agency. 

A strategy is only as good as the information you have. Conducting primary research is an excellent way to gain valuable insights for successful planning. But getting the most useful answers from primary research requires asking the right questions. That begins with developing a well-crafted questionnaire — one of the most important steps to any survey. 

Kayce Duncan has a love of beautiful places, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where she earned her degree in Web Design and Interactive Media from the Art Institute of Seattle. Her aptitude and affinity for the arts also led her to an interest in photography.  

As Newspapers Close and Online PR Takes Center Stage, Here's How Clients Can Navigate the Evolving Earned Media Landscape.

Recruitment challenges in today's job market present an opportunity for marketing professionals to play a critical role in the workforce. What we’ve learned from our experience with the North Dakota Department of Commerce between tourism and the workforce is what gets people to visit, gets people to stay.

As the temperatures drop and the store shelves fill with holiday décor, toys and food, let’s take a look at the overall holiday spending forecast that could help with last-minute marketing decisions.  

Austin Binstock has superpowers. No, he doesn’t have an alter ego. He can’t fly, scale up to a giant size or do any kind of lightning bolt karate move. And he doesn’t wear a stretchy superhero suit — at least not at the office. 

When it comes to advertising, reach and frequency are two of the most important metrics. Reach refers to the number of people who are exposed to your ad, while frequency refers to the number of times they are exposed to it. 

Odney account executive Grady Blewett is a sports nut. Whether he is playing golf, assistant-coaching inside linebackers at Mandan High School, or getting under a fly ball to left field, he loves it. He knows it takes practice to hone the skills, and it requires strategy to win.

At some point, brands can get worn out and begin to show their age. But a good brand has equity. So, if you have invested a lot of time and resources into your brand, how do you know when it is time for a change, and how big of a change you should make? 

Odney Media Director Cindy DuPaul-Vogelsang says she has a “crazy, busy schedule. But I like that.” That certainly must be true. One of Odney’s earliest employees hired in 1986, she is the longest-serving person here. 

The evolution of digital marketing has led to a shift in the way that businesses measure conversions. In the past, conversion measurement was largely focused on offline channels, such as sales calls and store visits. However, as more and more businesses move their operations online, the need for accurate and reliable online conversion measurement has become increasingly important. 

Odney, a leading marketing and communications agency in the region, is delighted to announce the addition of Colleen Duffy as a Social Media Specialist. With her impressive background in social media content creation and management across various industries, Colleen brings a wealth of expertise and creativity to the table.

It seems you can’t go a day without seeing or hearing some reference to artificial intelligence (AI). Even with the rise of AI and the positives it may bring, advertising will always be grounded in the sound principles by which Odney was founded.  

Since launching on July 5th, Meta’s new “Threads” app has quickly become the fastest-growing app of all time, with more than 100 million members. So, what exactly is this Twitter alternative and is it the right fit for you? 

BISMARCK, N.D. - Odney, a leading marketing and full-service communications agency, is thrilled to announce the launch of our refreshed brand, representing our mission and core values. The reimagined brand recognizes Odney’s past while providing a strong foundation for the future of the company.

The combined talent and resources of Odney and KK BOLD will enable us to expand our reach throughout North Dakota and the region. With an even wider range of expertise, we provide innovative, comprehensive solutions to better serve the evolving needs of businesses in the region.

Odney’s ownership team of Don Larson, Shane Goettle, Gwen Butler and Kyle Niess want to thank LaRoy Kingsley for his dedication to the advertising world for more than three decades. We are excited to welcome the talented professionals from KK BOLD to the Odney family. Together, we will stay at the forefront of the advertising industry — leading to greater things for Odney, our staff and our clients.

Go team!

Jon Carroll has joined the Odney team as our new Executive Creative Director writing and concepting alongside the creative team at Odney. Jon has over two decades of extensive experience in creative, producing award winning work.

We were happy and honored to be featured in OOH Today as Agency of the Day. Out Of Home Today is the leading independent source for news and information on the out-of-home and outdoor advertising industry. Among our work, they were particularly impressed with our train and bus wraps in Chicago and Minneapolis for North Dakota Tourism.

“We’re excited to bring someone with the talent and experience that Kelly possesses to the Odney team,” our agency president, Don Larson, said. “She rounds out a powerful line-up of  talented marketing professionals that always seek what is best for our clients.” Kelly is based in Minot and leads our efforts for clients in that region.

Every state in the U.S. found itself facing a massive labor shortage in the wake of the pandemic, but North Dakota’s logistical challenges were particularly daunting: in 2021, North Dakota had a stagnant population of 800,000, and 35,000 open jobs. Guess who was part of the solution? (Hint: It was Odney.)