IdeaPeepshow and MinnPost Team up

The recently launched IdeaPeepshow blog (run by Fast Horse) and MinnPost.com are teaming up to feature a weekly column on marketing. The column will be authored by John Reinan, a senior director at Fast Horse.

John wrote a column for the Star Tribune called “Selling It.” "The MinnPost column will be similar," said Reinan in an e-mail. "Typically focusing on one person, company or trend that ties into a larger issue in marketing. It’s slated to run on Mondays beginning July 21. I welcome suggestions from readers, who can reach me at jreinan@minnpost.com."

Ringham promoted to Client Relationship Director at Fast Horse

Betsy Ringham has been promoted to Client Relationship Director at Fast Horse, a Minneapolis-based consumer marketing agency. Ringham had been a Client Relationship Manager with the firm.

Ringham, who joined Fast Horse in 2006, specializes in the development and execution of marketing campaigns, media relations and special event coordination on behalf of local and national clients.

"Betsy’s promotion to Client Relationship Director reflects her growth as a counselor," said Jörg Pierach, President of Fast Horse. "She has distinguished herself through an unwavering commitment to her clients as well as our agency culture, and we are delighted to recognize her efforts with this promotion."

At Fast Horse, Ringham has been instrumental in the execution of several high-profile marketing campaigns for clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, University of Minnesota’s West Bank Arts Quarter and MacPhail Center for Music.

Ringham began her career in Chicago, first as a member of Hill & Knowlton’s public affairs team and then as an associate at Burson-Marsteller, where she worked with clients such as National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Marshall Field’s, Illinois Lottery and Minute Maid. Ringham graduated with a B.A. in communication from the College of Saint Benedict , in St. Joseph , Minn.

Global Vehicles Selects Fast Horse For Consumer Marketing

Fast Horse, a Minneapolis-based consumer marketing services agency, has been retained by Global Vehicles U.S.A., Inc. to support the national launch of Mahindra SUVs and trucks, the first line of Indian-made automobiles to hit the U.S. market.

Global Vehicles, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., is the exclusive importer and distributor of Mahindra vehicles, which are manufactured by The Mahindra Group, recently ranked by Forbes as one of the World’s 200 Most Reputable Companies. Set to go on sale in the second quarter of 2009 through a vast national network of premier dealers, Mahindra vehicles will offer a blend of ruggedness, performance and affordability – highlighted by a clean-burning diesel engine built with top-of-the-industry green technology designed to reduce emissions and maximize fuel efficiency.

Fast Horse will develop and execute integrated marketing campaigns to build brand awareness and consumer acceptance of Mahindra vehicles, in addition to assisting Mahindra dealers with marketing activities on a local and regional level. Initiatives will include media relations, blog relations, dealer communications, special event coordination, grassroots marketing and consumer promotions.

"We’re excited to help introduce U.S. consumers to one of India’s most respected brands," said Jörg Pierach, founder and president of Fast Horse. "Mahindra represents the new India , demonstrating a unique convergence of superior style, technology and culture. We’re already seeing a buzz associated with Mahindra’s entry into the market and we believe consumers will quickly recognize the quality, durability, green technology and overall value packed into this line of vehicles."

FAST HORSE BOLSTERS INTERACTIVE, MEDIA RELATIONS CAPABILITIES WITH TWO HIRES

Fast Horse, an integrated marketing services agency, has strengthened its interactive and media relations capabilities with the addition of two staffers. The Minneapolis-based firm named John Reinan as a senior director, and Amanda Mark as a client relationship manager.

Reinan, a longtime news reporter with several Pulitzer Prize nominations, and Mark, a non-profit communicator, began work this spring. Reinan will lead efforts to develop an agency blog and will work with clients such as Carlson Hotels and The Coca-Cola Company. Mark is focused on one of the firm’s newer clients – Nationwide Insurance.

As a reporter at the Star Tribune and six other newspapers, Reinan scooped up a closetful of awards for news coverage, business reporting, feature writing and investigative reporting. He is a leading thinker on social networking, legal and ethical issues on the Internet, and the changing media landscape. As the “Digital Drifter,” Reinan was among the first wave of bloggers nationally in the newspaper business, learning the ins and outs of Web 2.0’s signature feature.

Prior to joining Fast Horse, Mark worked at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. leading the organization’s Web outreach efforts including the award-winning Spanish Web site Cruzrojaamericana.org, the Redcross.org Store and online marketing campaigns. During times of disaster, Mark served as a spokesperson with appearances on Good Morning America, Fox & Friends and CNN. A native of Minnesota, Mark previously worked with the City of Minneapolis on its public relations team and led communication strategy for the non-profit group representing the interests of the state’s two-year college students.

"What we sell is talent and experience," said Jörg Pierach, president and creative director, Fast Horse. "Amanda and John embrace our culture of pushing traditional marketing boundaries and continually reexamining our approach to engaging consumers."

FAST HORSE RECEIVES TWO SABRE AWARDS

Fast Horse, a Minneapolis-based marketing services agency, received two SABRE Awards from the New York-based Holmes Group at a ceremony in New York City on May 8, 2007. Fast Horse was one of only four Twin Cities agencies to win a SABRE award and one of only two local agencies to win multiple awards.

The SABRE Awards, celebrating "Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation," recognize the nation's best public relations and marketing programs in specific practice areas and industry sectors, as well as specific program tactics – with an emphasis on creativity.

Fast Horse received a Silver SABRE Award in the "Educational and Cultural Institutions" category for its work on behalf of MacPhail Center for Music. Fast Horse helped MacPhail significantly increase its visibility among key stakeholders in the highly competitive Minneapolis arts community. The agency developed a brand campaign surrounding the construction of MacPhail's new building in downtown Minneapolis, which included the wildly popular "Construction Concerto," as part of the organization’s ground-breaking celebration.

Fast Horse also received a Bronze SABRE Award in the “Trade Show” category on behalf of its work with Pure Fishing. Fast Horse helped Pure Fishing, the nation’s largest manufacturer of fishing tackle, improve communication among key audiences and ultimately secure the “Best in Show” award at ICAST, the fishing industry’s largest trade show – an accomplishment the company hadn’t achieved in more than ten years.

"It's always an honor to have your work recognized nationally by your peers as best-in-category, particularly when competing against firms many times our size," said Jörg Pierach, Fast Horse president and creative director. "These awards are a testament to our talented and creative staff, as well as our outstanding clients, who provide us with the opportunity to do great work."

New Name, New Employees and New Office for Fast Horse

Fast Horse recently celebrated five years as an agency which, they said, was a natural time to put everything on the table for consideration. "Our identity, our office environment, hell, even our business proposition," said Jorg Pierach, president and creative director of Fast Horse in an e-mail to MNPR Blog.

As it turns out, Fast Horse made significant changes to all of them, and more.

One of the biggest changes was their announcement this week that they are no longer a public relations agency.

"We haven’t thrown the baby out with the bathwater, said Pierach. "We’ll continue to do what we have always done best, but for myriad reasons, believe we can better serve our clients and grow our business by dropping the PR label. We have launched a new, interim Web site that offers a snapshot of our evolution. We invite you to take a spin around www.fasthorseinc.com for a bit more perspective."

Some additional changes to Fast Horse include:

In January, they moved into a stand-alone building on the edge of the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

Fast Horse also recently made two very important hires to bolster their interactive and media relations capabilities: Amanda Mark has joined from the American Red Cross in Washington D.C., where she spearheaded some cutting-edge interactive marketing projects and served as a national spokesperson in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Fast Horse hired John Reinan, who will join the company on April 2 from the Star Tribune, where he spent the past four years covering the consumer marketing and Internet beats. John’s depth of knowledge about the intersection of marketing and the internet will be a valuable asset to our clients. He’ll also serve as the editor of a blog we’ll be launching in the coming weeks.

Lastly, Fast Horse has a new logo and they have dropped the word “inc” after their name.

Job - Fast Horse - Internship

Fast Horse - Internship