What Fast Horse does

Fast Horse is a Minneapolis-based integrated creative communications agency founded in 2001 by Jörg A. Pierach (formerly EVP at Weber Shandwick). The firm delivers full-service campaign execution — strategy, creative, design, production, content, experiential, media relations, influencer, social media, and analytics — under a single brand and P&L from its single North Loop Minneapolis headquarters. Its operational backbone is the proprietary 'Return on Integration' (ROI) methodology, in which a Chief Integration Officer eliminates channel-specific budget steering and aligns all disciplines under one integrated plan per client.

The agency's customer base is mid-to-large enterprise consumer and B2B brands, with visible long-running relationships including The Coca-Cola Company, Heineken, General Mills, Best Buy, Audi, Cargill, Nationwide, Toro, Jack Link's, and Schwan's. Revenue is generated through professional services — quote-based, project-based engagements — sold via direct enterprise outreach and the founder's 30-year industry network. Distribution is exclusively direct; there is no channel intermediation.

The firm is founder-owned and private, with no disclosed institutional investment. Staffing is 11-50, led by Pierach and Chief Creative Officer Scott Broberg (30-year industry veteran). Recognition includes three Cannes Lions (consecutive years for Coca-Cola work), six Effies, four REGGIE Awards, Silver Anvils, CLIO and SABRE honors, a 2013 Jefferson Award, multiple Inc. 5000 listings, and nine consecutive years on Twin Cities Business Monthly's 'Best of Business.' The 'Integrate' internship program operates as a structured talent pipeline into the agency's integrated model.

Name

Fast Horse

Legal name

Fast Horse Inc.

Website

https://fasthorseinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fast Horse is an independent Minneapolis integrated creative communications agency serving mid-to-large enterprise brands across food and beverage, retail, automotive, financial services, and healthcare. Founded in 2001, it delivers earned-media-driven campaigns using a proprietary 'Return on Integration' methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Integrated Creative Communications Services: Fast Horse generates revenue through professional services fees for integrated creative communications campaigns. As an agency, they likely operate on project-based contracts with enterprise clients for strategy, creative, design, production, content, experiential, media relations, influencer, social media, and analytics services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fast Horse is an independent, integrated creative communications agency that designs and executes non-traditional, earned-media-driven brand-building campaigns for mid-to-large enterprise clients. Services span strategy, creative, design, production, content, experiential, media relations, influencer marketing, social media, and analytics, all delivered under one brand and one P&L via the agency's proprietary Return on Integration (ROI) methodology.

Product overview

Fast Horse is an integrated creative communications agency offering a unified suite of marketing and communications services. The agency provides strategy, creative, design, production, content, experiential, media relations, influencer, social media, and analytics services under one brand and P&L. The agency also operates an internship program called 'Integrate' for young professionals seeking careers in creative communications. Rather than a software platform with discrete product modules, Fast Horse delivers client work through integrated campaign teams that combine all disciplines to work together on brand-building initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated Creative Communications Campaign Services
• Return on Integration (ROI) Methodology

Quantifiable outcome

• Edwards Desserts campaign: 3 billion+ earned impressions, 99%+ positive sentiment, 2,300%+ average Instagram engagement rate, 10% sales increase
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Carmichael Lynch: Minneapolis-based independent creative agency of comparable size and model, offering integrated brand-building work for national clients. Directly comparable on geography, structure (independent, founder-led), and target enterprise customers, making it the closest direct peer.
• Mekanism: Independent integrated creative agency that similarly blends earned-media storytelling, social, influencer, and content to build challenger brands. Strong overlap in service mix (creative + media relations + influencer + social) and in mid-to-large enterprise client types.
• 72andSunny: Independent, multi-disciplined creative agency built around the principle of making brands culturally relevant through integrated work. Closely mirrors Fast Horse's emphasis on earned-media-led, non-traditional brand-building for big consumer/B2C brands.
• Anomaly: Independent creative-led agency that operates without channel silos and has built an earned-media-friendly roster of major CPG and consumer brands. Overlap with Fast Horse on integrated model, mid-size independent structure, and similar enterprise client profile.
• The Martin Agency: Independently held creative agency known for earned-media-driving campaigns on accounts like Geico and Walmart. Comparable on independent integrated-agency structure and on a roster of large, brand-building enterprise clients in consumer categories.
• RPA: Independent, full-service creative agency of comparable size serving major consumer brands (Honda, Farmers Insurance, Amazon). Comparable on independent operating model, integrated service offering, and mid-size-headcount economics.
• Colle+McVoy: Minneapolis-based independent creative agency serving brands like 3M, General Mills, and Target. Strong geographic and structural overlap with Fast Horse and a similar enterprise client roster in the Twin Cities market.
• mono (agency): Independently held creative agency serving both consumer and B2B brands with a focus on integrated, earned-media-driven work. Comparable on independent mid-size integrated model and enterprise client base. (Website: https://mono.company if domain correction applies.)

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent creative agency best known for long-running Nike work; a much larger independent with global offices and similar earned-media-first, brand-building orientation. Comparable as a model and category peer, though at substantially greater scale.
• Publicis Groupe: Global advertising holding company whose agencies (Leo Burnett, Saatchi, etc.) compete for the same enterprise brand-building budgets as Fast Horse. Relevant as a benchmark on the macro competitive landscape and procurement-consolidation trends affecting independent agencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Fast_Horse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Fast Horse