Local
Fast Horse, a Minneapolis-based integrated creative agency, has received another prestigious Cannes Lion award for its work with client Newcastle Brown Ale—news that comes on the heels of several other major accolades for the local agency.
The Cannes Lions mark the world’s largest celebration of creativity in communications, and this year, Fast Horse received the bronze award in the “integrated campaign led by PR” category for its work on Newcastle’s “Band of Brands” campaign.
As the follow-up to 2014’s hugely successful “If We Made It” Super Bowl program, Newcastle’s Band of Brands set out to create the first-ever “crowdfunded” Super Bowl ad. “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza helped solicit entries from brands that, for a small contribution, were invited to, in effect, put an ad in an ad. Each member of the band of brands would have its logo and messaging featured on the world’s largest advertising stage. The bronze Cannes Lion award recognized Fast Horse, its clients at Newcastle, and partner agencies Droga5 and MediaVest for their work on the campaign.
In total, the Band Of Brands campaign received seven Cannes Lions at this year’s awards event, including the gold “Titanium” award, which recognizes “breakthrough ideas which are provocative and point to a new direction in the industry.”
This is Fast Horse’s second Cannes Lion: Last year, the agency earned a gold award for its work on Newcastle’s “If We Made It” campaign, which set out to make Newcastle the most talked-about brand in the Super Bowl—without ever purchasing a multimillion-dollar TV spot. (“If We Made It” was also named AdWeek’s “Best Ad of 2014.”)
The 2015 Cannes Lion comes on the heels of many other notable accolades for Fast Horse. Earlier this month, Fast Horse was lauded as one of the three “Most Effective Independent Agencies” at the 2015 North American Effie Awards Gala in New York City. The agency also took home four coveted trophies at the Effie Awards Gala for its work with Newcastle. Furthermore, Fast Horse was recently honored with a Volunteer Award from the Advocates for Human Rights, in recognition of the agency’s pro bono branding work and website development for the nonprofit organization.
The recent flurry of accolades come during a period of significant growth for Fast Horse, which has recently added several new clients to its roster, including General Mills, Deluxe Corporation, Heineken, Bota Box and Trystar. The agency also continues ongoing successes with clients like The Coca-Cola Company, Marvin Windows & Doors, The Village Company, Wausau Tile, Best Buy, Champs Sports and more.
“Receiving a second Cannes Lion, especially in such close proximity to other national honors, is reflective of the exceptional work that continues to fuel our agency’s substantial growth,” said Jörg Pierach, founder and creative director of Fast Horse. “Newcastle is an ambitious brand, and the exceptional partnership we have with that team helps us continue to deliver work of the highest caliber.”
“Band of Brands” Teaser Video (Featuring Aubrey Plaza)
“Call for Brands” Video (Featuring Aubrey Plaza)
The “Band of Brands” Big Game Ad