Minneapolis marketing firm Bold Orange buys Three Deep Marketing in St. Paul

The Minneapolis marketing firm Bold Orange Co. has acquired the St. Paul agency Three Deep Marketing, gaining heavyweight clients such as Behr paints, Red Wing Shoes and Electrolux in the process.

The purchase price was not disclosed. The deal expands Bold Orange's focus of helping brands improve customer loyalty and customer interactions on websites, e-mails and in stores.

Three Deep Marketing's expertise is digital media, search engine optimization technology, and a customer relationship management tool called Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which combined are used to improve clients' brands.

Combined, Bold Orange and Three Deep will have 75 employees with offices in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Bold Orange plans to hire another six workers.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome this incredible group of talented and culturally aligned team members," said Margaret Murphy, the former Carlson marketing executive who founded Bold Orange in 2018. "The depth and experience that Three Deep has across digital media, technology and analytics enables us to continue our obsession of serving our customers better than anyone in the industry."

Murphy said she was attracted to the 18-year-old Three Deep agency because it brings stronger search optimization skills and customer analytics. Each firm brings something to the table that strengthens the other, Murphy said.

Bold Orange clients include some heavy-hitter companies including recreational-vehicle maker Polaris, Anytime Fitness, SPS Commerce and eBay.

Three Deep Marketing has several star clients including Red Wing Shoes. Murphy said she wants to provide deeper website, e-mail and other media content for loyal brand customers of the Minnesota-based boot- and shoemaker. She envisions better online outreach that educates Red Wing customers about new products, new shoe features and more.

"We think there is a lot of opportunity to support them in a deeper way with content and personalized communication. So we are excited about that one in particular," Murphy said.

Dave Woodbeck, Three Deep Marketing president and founder, said he was "excited to join Margaret and the Bold Orange team as we share the same level of passion for driving strong outcomes for our clients and an inspiring culture for our employees."

Woodbeck has been named executive vice president and managing director of Bold Orange.

The Three Deep acquisition accelerates Bold Orange's fast-paced growth. Last year, the company gained 10 new clients and doubled its staff. It is now poised to grow yet again, despite being in an industry hard-hit by COVID-19. Advertising and marketing firms lost nearly 49,000 workers last year.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725