What Boncom does

Boncom (legal entity: Bonneville Communications Corporation) is a Salt Lake City-headquartered, full-service advertising agency founded in 1978 that specializes in behavior-change advertising, branding, experience design, and strategic communications for purpose-driven organizations. Its client base is concentrated in mission-aligned verticals — faith-based organizations (notably The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), state and federal government public-safety and health agencies (Utah DOT, Utah Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, State of Utah, Utah Division of Forestry), major cultural and international institutions (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, United Nations Foundation), and select retail and tourism brands (Deseret Book, Polynesian Cultural Center). The agency's stated methodology blends advertising, behavioral psychology, audience research, and data science — encapsulated in proprietary assets such as the Giving Machines experiential giving concept and the Finding Common Ground messaging research methodology developed for the United Nations Foundation.

The agency operates five offices (Salt Lake City HQ, Virginia Beach, Washington D.C., Guadalajara, São Paulo) and is structured around four internal capability areas: Insights + Strategy, Programs + Campaigns, Storytelling + Branding, and Reach + Engagement. Service delivery spans paid and earned media, video production and animation, digital and social campaigns, out-of-home, influencer partnerships, experiential activations, and audience research. Notable campaign outcomes cited in source material include the Giving Machines program raising $6M+ across 10 global cities in 2019, Utah Fire Sense reducing human-caused wildfires from 1,176 to 466 over two years, the Civility in Politics PSA achieving 3.5M+ views and 12M impressions within days, and Zero Fatalities reaching 32,000+ students annually through approximately 1,000 safe-driving presentations. Awards include multiple ADDY Gold/Silver honors (American Advertising Federation, 2018–2020), the PRSA Silver Anvil (2019), and PRSA PR Campaign of the Year (2023).

Boncom is a privately held for-profit company with no disclosed funding rounds, no disclosed revenue, and no disclosed M&A activity. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated through project-based fees and ongoing client retainers under a professional-services model. The agency maintains a paid summer internship program ($17/hour) that serves as a talent pipeline, has been third-party certified for five consecutive years as having no gender pay gap, and lists job openings through a Workday portal tied to Deseret Management Corporation, indicating organizational affiliation with the broader Church-owned enterprise group. AI capability is nascent, currently embodied in a single AI Solutions Manager role and standard pixel/analytics tooling rather than in proprietary AI products.

Name

Boncom

Legal name

Bonneville Communications Corporation

Website

https://boncom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Boncom is a Salt Lake City-based, full-service advertising agency founded in 1978 that specializes in behavior-change advertising, branding, and experience design for purpose-driven clients including faith-based organizations, government public-safety agencies, and major cultural institutions across five global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Marketing Services: Full-service agency fees for advertising campaigns, experience design, branding, research, and strategy services to purpose-driven organizations. Revenue is generated through project-based fees and ongoing client retainers for major accounts.
2. Campaign and Program Development: Development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns including video production, digital advertising, social media, out-of-home, and experiential activations for government and nonprofit clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Boncom is a full-service advertising agency that provides strategy, branding, design, social media, campaigns, experience design, and audience research services. The agency specializes in elevating beliefs and shaping behaviors for purpose-driven organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, cultural institutions, religious organizations, and retail brands. Core deliverables include integrated advertising campaigns, brand strategy, video production, digital and social media content, out-of-home media, and experiential activations.

Product overview

Boncom is a full-service advertising agency specializing in elevating beliefs and shaping behaviors for purpose-driven organizations. The agency offers four core capability areas: Insights & Strategy (workshops, impact assessment, audience research), Programs & Campaigns (social impact strategy, CSR development, coalition building), Storytelling & Branding (brand strategy, content creation, video production, digital campaigns), and Reach & Engagement (multimedia, email marketing, social media). Their portfolio includes campaign work (Giving Machines, Light The World, Zero Fatalities), brand development (Live On, Smithsonian), experience design (Deseret Book retail), research initiatives (U.N. Foundation Finding Common Ground), and animated content (A Journey Through Grief). The agency operates across multiple U.S. locations and internationally, serving clients including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah state agencies, Smithsonian, and non-profit organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Giving Machines Charitable giving experience using retrofitted vending machines that allow people to donate items (meals, livestock, hygiene kits, medical supplies) delivered through partner charities; expanded globally to 10 cities by 2019 and raised over $6 million for charity across the program.
• Finding Common Ground Research Proprietary research and communications strategy offering that finds common language to enable productive dialogue on polarizing issues; developed in partnership with the United Nations Foundation across 17 global issues including climate change.
• Zero Fatalities Behavior Change Campaign Integrated behavior-change campaign for the Utah Department of Transportation targeting five deadly driving behaviors (distracted, unbuckled, drowsy, impaired, and aggressive driving); includes school presentations reaching 32,000+ high school students annually.
• Smithsonian Deep Time Campaign Creative awareness campaign for the reopening of the Deep Time Fossil Hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, with creative placements across Washington D.C. Metro stations, bus wraps, digital, and print advertising.
• Live On Suicide Prevention Brand and Campaign Statewide suicide prevention brand and integrated campaign developed with the Utah Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, including a living logo, campaign website, social media channels, and a coalition of prevention partners.
• Stay Home. Stay Safe. COVID-19 Response Campaign Pro bono COVID-19 pandemic response campaign for the State of Utah encouraging residents to comply with health guidelines, created within 10 days and distributed across TV, radio, print, billboards (including Reagan Outdoor along I-15), and community partners.
• Deseret Book Experience Design Customer research and experience design engagement for Deseret Book's flagship store remodel, including focus groups, quantitative surveys, audience segmentation, brand positioning, and experiential retail layout recommendations.
• Utah Fire Sense Wildfire Prevention Campaign Wildfire prevention public safety campaign for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands targeting the top five human-caused fire behaviors; achieved over 1 million local viewership and reduced human-caused wildfires from 1,176 in 2020 to 466 in 2022.
• Polynesian Cultural Center Integrated Campaign Integrated marketing campaign for the Polynesian Cultural Center including anthem video, digital, social, out-of-home, and TV advertising, plus a rebranded Polynesia.com website with SEO improvements that increased annual attendance and expanded to younger, more diverse audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Giving Machines raised $6M+ in 2019 across 10 cities with 92,000+ donations
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Governor Spencer CoxcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with Utah Governor Spencer Cox as a public official and opinion leader for the Utah Fire Sense wildfire prevention campaign, creating long-lasting impressions and behavior adoption among Utah residents.
• Associated Food StorescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with Associated Food Stores (including Macey's, Lin's, Dick's, Dan's) as a community partner for the Utah Fire Sense campaign, distributing safety messaging and materials in grocery stores across Utah.
• Chris Peterson and Spencer Cox CampaignsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Partnership with Utah gubernatorial candidates Chris Peterson (Democratic) and Spencer Cox (Republican) to create a joint bipartisan civility message during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Boncom created PSAs for TV and radio, paid media schedules, and coordinated influencer/PR efforts. The campaign achieved 3.5M+ views in first two days and 12M impressions on Twitter.
• Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partnerships with businesses, organizations, and nonprofits around Utah to share the 'Live On' suicide prevention message, integrating dozens of partners and resources through a unified campaign brand.
• KSL and Deseret NewscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with KSL TV, Radio, KSL.com, and Deseret News (print and online) to distribute COVID-19 'Stay Home. Stay Safe.' campaign materials across multiple media platforms.
• Reagan Outdoor BillboardscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Reagan Outdoor Billboards along I-15 for COVID-19 'Stay Home. Stay Safe.' campaign out-of-home advertising placement.
• Local Businesses (Kneaders, Home Depot, Grocery Stores)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with local businesses including Kneaders Bakery and Café, Home Depot, and grocery store chains (Macey's, Lin's, Dick's, Dan's, Associated Food Stores) to post COVID-19 campaign materials in stores.
• Social Media InfluencerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership with social media influencers for the Light The World campaign who participated in the campaign and hosted a live concert at YouTube's studio in New York City.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GMMB: A Washington DC-based communications and advertising agency serving political campaigns, nonprofits, foundations, and corporate clients on cause-marketing and behavior-change initiatives. Directly comparable to Boncom's purpose-driven and government work, with similar AOR-style relationships with federal and state clients.
• Blue State: A digital agency focused on purpose, advocacy, and politics for nonprofits, campaigns, and brands seeking to drive measurable action. Direct peer because of its overlapping cause-driven client base and integrated digital-plus-creative capabilities paralleling Boncom's full-service model.
• M+R: A digital fundraising and advocacy agency specializing in nonprofit, association, and healthcare clients. Direct peer because of its focused nonprofit/advocacy client mix and emphasis on measurable behavior-change outcomes that mirrors Boncom's specialty.
• Fors Marsh Group: An employee-owned research and marketing firm headquartered in the Washington DC area specializing in behavior-change communications and public-sector marketing. Highly comparable to Boncom because of overlapping behavior-change methodology, government/nonprofit client focus, and integrated research-plus-creative service model.
• Subject Matter: A Washington DC-based strategic communications and creative agency focused on advocacy, public affairs, and social-impact clients. Comparable to Boncom in its focus on change-making campaigns for nonprofits, foundations, and associations.
• Bully Pulpit Interactive: A Washington DC-based digital agency combining earned, paid, and owned media for advocacy campaigns, nonprofit clients, and political organizations. Direct peer because of its advocacy-first model and behavior-change campaign orientation.
• Spitfire Strategies: A public-interest communications firm in Washington DC that serves nonprofits, foundations, and associations with strategy, message development, and behavior-change campaigns. Highly relevant peer given Boncom's purpose-driven behavior-change focus.
• SKDK: A New York and DC-based strategic communications and public affairs firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and political clients. Direct peer because of overlapping public-affairs and behavior-change communication mandates similar to Boncom's government/nonprofit portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Ketchum: A global public relations and integrated marketing firm with a dedicated social impact and purpose practice. Adjacent to Boncom because of its nonprofit and social-cause capabilities, though it competes broadly across consumer and corporate brands rather than specializing in purpose-driven work.
• Edelman: A global public relations and communications firm with strong purpose, nonprofit, and behavior-change practice areas. Comparable to Boncom in its purpose-driven offerings, but operates at much larger scale across B2B, consumer, and public affairs clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/boncom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/boncom
• Facebookfacebook.com/boncom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boncom
• Instagraminstagram.com/boncom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Boncom