Big news out of the Big Apple for Fast Horse.

We’re proud to say we won a Gold SABRE Award in the global program category for our work with Coca-Cola on the Expedition 206 campaign.

Jörg and Scott were on hand Tuesday evening to receive the award during a gala at Cipriani in New York City. The Holmes Report issues the awards — one of the top honors in the marketing/PR industry — each year.

On Expedition 206, we worked with Coca-Cola to send three young travelers to nearly 200 countries last year on a mission to explore what makes people happy.

It was an ambitious and unprecedented campaign that coupled live events, consumer participation and social media tools to build brand loyalty among a specific audience on a global scale. We helped bring the campaign to life on the ground and online with smart planning and great content.

Hats off to Mike Keliher, the Fast Horse client-relationship director who help make Expedition 206 a success.

Check out the details of our Expedition 206 work in this case study.

Here’s the complete list of SABRE winners.

Need a hand, Allison?

The Fast Horse crew attended the Minnesota PRSA 33rd Annual Classics on Thursday at Windows on Minnesota, located on the 50th floor of the IDS Tower. We brought along five graduating college seniors who were invited to network among the local PR community’s elite and, perhaps more importantly in the short term, score a free meal.

Here’s a very exact account of how the night went down:

5:09 p.m. Suited and dressed in our Sunday’s best, we converge on Club Jäger to trade intros with our college guests before attending the show. We’re impressed by a strong group made of University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University students. Also impressive– baseball banter! “What do you want to do after college?” is frequently followed by “How many games will the Twins win this year?” (The consensus: 93)

6:04 p.m. We arrive at the IDS Tower. One of our college guests let’s out a gasp when she crosses local TV personality Jason Matheson in the lobby. We tell the young woman he’s one of the emcees for the show. The awards are still an hour away and we’ve almost lost our first student.

6:06 p.m. We arrive at Windows on Minnesota, 50 floors up, where Target Field is in plain sight, featuring the only green grass this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Also, we can see our office from here!

6:07 to 6:34 p.m. Hundreds of PR professionals eagerly network, exchanging business cards, Twitter handles, Facebook pages, LinkedIn invites, MySpace requests, etc. Some time later when the show starts, emcee Kelly Groehler invites attendees to follow the night’s events through #MNClassics, even though the crowd is notably present. Nevertheless, #MNClassics trends locally.

6:37 p.m. We take our table. I wind up seated next to John Reinan. A month ago, I would’ve said, “Duh. Winning.”

7:03 p.m. Dave Fransen and I decided to wear sweaters instead of suits.

Reinan points to each of us and says, “You two are bringing sexy back!”

Scott Broberg says, “Do you think you just invented that?”

Without hesitation, Reinan says, “Drop it like it’s hot, baby!”

7:32 p.m. After the first few awards have been given out, George Fiddler and I cave to our vice: Betting. Our NCAA Tournament brackets long worthless, George and I start betting on Classics. In categories with three finalists, we both choose wrong. Every time. We discuss a 64-campaign bracket for next year’s Classics.

7:35 p.m. Following through on an earlier promise, emcee Matheson uses a megaphone to quiet a loud crowd member. Idle banter continues undeterred. Matheson remembers what kind of people he’s surrounded by.

7:40 p.m. We win our first award– the Research category for our work with scrapbooking company Creative Memories. There’s no getting Lucci’d tonight!

8:10 p.m. Reinan pulls out the double guns after we claim Institutional Programs (Government/Nonprofit) for work with MinnPost.com.

8:12 p.m. Expedition 206 for The Coca-Cola Company earns Special Events/Observances (More than seven days; business industry).

8:16 p.m. Now, we’ve got a rally going. Our agency marketing efforts earn us Marketing Services (Established– Budget less than $75,000.)

8:17 p.m. We win Marketing Products (New– Budget less than $75,000)  for work with growers’ cooperative Next Big Thing.

8:23 p.m. George and I bet correctly when Expedition 206 wins Multicultural Public Relations after being the only finalist.

8:24 p.m. Expedition 206 wins Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Products)– our biggest win of the night.

8:35 p.m. The Classics end. We’ve collected seven pillar-shaped awards. Allison Checco yanks our starstruck college student for a quick introduction to Matheson. We’re all winners at this point.

9:31 p.m. For our post-game celebration, we ascend on The Local with awards in tow. We hope we’ve shown our guests a good night as we toast to our successful evening, even while most of us think about tomorrow’s work. It was a good evening, indeed.

The announcement is a big one for Fast Horse: We’ve been named a finalist in three categories for the 2011 Silver Anvil awards. These are the Oscars of the public relations industry — and plenty of top agencies from around the country apply.

The Public Relations Society of America has been naming Silver Anvil winners for more than 60 years. Here’s how the organization describes the honor:

The Silver Anvil, symbolizing the forging of public opinion, is awarded annually to organizations that have successfully addressed a contemporary issue with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

The public relations profession’s most prestigious honor, the Silver Anvil Award acknowledges the very highest level of achievement and is the established icon of the “best of the best” public relations practices.

So you can see why we’re excited. There were more than 800 entries this year and about 120 finalists.

Fast Horse made the grade in the professional services category, with an entry focused on marketing our own agency. The entry detailed all we do to tell our story and recruit top talent in creative ways, including the Idea Peepshow, our summer intern search, special events such as “Park(ing) Day” and The Fast Horse Experience on Facebook.

Our work on the Coca-Cola Expedition 206 campaign landed us finalist nods in global communications and reputation/brand management. We worked with Coke to send three young travelers to nearly 200 countries last year on a mission to explore what makes people happy. The campaign combined live events, consumer participation and social media tools to build brand loyalty among a specific audience on a global scale.

The winners in each category will be announced June 9 during the Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony at Equitable Tower in New York City. And that brings us to that random drawing. Jörg tossed everyone’s name into a giant beer mug and announced he’d pull out one name. The lucky Pony would get to accompany him to New York for the ceremony. The winner: John Reinan, shown here shortly after the drawing with a self-described “girly drink.”

So kudos to everyone at Fast Horse and here’s hoping we bring home some hardware in June.

Better late than never.

Along with our long-time clients and friends at The Coca-Cola Company, we managed to grab not one, but two finalists, including “Digital/Social Media Campaign of the Year” and “Global Campaign of the Year” at the prestigous PR industry competition. Both were for the Expedition 206 program. More than 1,000 people, include Mike, Scott and I, attended the black-tie event at the Sheraton New York to learn who the winners were.  At $400 a ticket, we were anticipating a memorable night, complete with A-list entertainment, gourmet fare and the finest wines and spirits known to man.  Here are the highlights:

• Emcee Ron Pearson, an actor and comedian introduced as a “comedic ball of fire,” got the night rolling by sprinting out on stage and shouting: “It’s great to be in a room full of PR people!”  The Comedic Ball of Fire quickly flamed out after that.  “Thanks very much,” he shouted at the end of his stand-up, “Both of you!”  At least he knew.

• The meal consisted of Filet Mignon, a medley of limp veggies and some molded potato concoction.  I know how difficult it is to grill even one steak perfectly, much less 1,000, so gave the kitchen a pass.  We were going to have to get our $400 worth elsewhere.  That brings us to the liquor …

• Oh, the liquor.  The advertising industry thinks it’s cornered the market on awards show drunkenness.  Listen Draper, we spent the better part of the post-awards reception babysitting a completely bombed VP from a big DC public affairs agency who had stumbled over to seek help in staying upright from our hightop table.  (Your client’s secrets are safe with us, Ms. P.!) How drunk was everyone else?  Let’s just say the dance floor was full of agency and corporate muckety mucks dancing to Lady Gaga at the end of the night. P-p-p-picture your boss busting a move in a monkey suit or sparkly cocktail dress.  Get the idea?

All was not lost, though.  We took home two very tasteful silver picture frames commemorating our place among the upper echelon of US agencies.  No shame in losing Digital/Social Media Campaign of the Year to our friend Eric Pehle and his colleagues at Weber Shandwick, who did some great work for the US Army.  And we we did manage to snag the Honorable Mention in the Global Campaign of the Year category.

Guess that’s better than having only a hangover to show for our $400.

Antonio Santiago, Kelly Ferris and Tony Martin

Very few people on the planet can top the travel tales that Tony Martin, Kelly Ferris and Antonio Santiago will share today.

The three globetrotters spent the past year visiting nearly 200 countries. They traveled more than 275,000 miles as the tireless stars of Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206.

Coke sent the “happiness ambassadors” around the world on a quest to discover what makes people happy. The mission, which Fast Horse helped organize and promote, coincided with Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” marketing campaign.

Everywhere the travelers went, they asked people what makes them happy. From Aruba to Zimbabwe, they heard the same answers: friends and family, music and dancing, sports and food.

The trio began their expedition in Madrid on Jan. 1. They mark the end of the mission this week with events in Atlanta, the world headquarters of Coca-Cola.

They shared stories and answered questions today. Martin, 30, is a Washington, D.C., native who teaches kindergarten in Munich. Ferris, 24, is a college student from Brussels. Santiago, 25, is a university student from Mexico City.

The travelers came away with plenty of lessons about happiness.

“When it comes to happiness, finding many small moments of joy are more important than looking major milestones,” Martin said. “Don’t wait until you have the time to write a whole book. Just spend five minutes a day writing a sentence.”

“I think happiness is something we all have within us,” Ferris said. “We express it and experience it by sharing with others.”

“The happiest people are those who follow their dreams,” Santiago said. “Next up are those who are surrounded by those people that mean the most to them. Combine the two and you’re set.”

The trio also offer plenty of other observations and travel tidbits.

Most Beautiful Sunset — Greenland
“I was there in May,” Ferris said. “The sun starts to set around 9 p.m. and finishes around midnight. I watched the whole thing form a rocky shoreline that is just out to the sea. A wonderful experience.”

Most Interesting Animal Spotted — Kudu
“While on safari in Botswana, I saw this animal called a kudu,” Santiago said. “They have extreme grace and can jump over cars! They have these really long twisty horns and it was just beautiful.”

Best Hidden Beaches — Croatia
“There are a lot of rocky beaches there, but the water is amazing and if you know where to look, you can find some amazing sandy beaches hidden on the small islands near Dubrovnik,” Martin said.

Most Indispensable Travel Item — Smart Phone
“It’s not just my phone. It’s my book (I’ve read 42 books on my phone while waiting in customs, catching flights, or driving to places this year), it’s my movie screen, it’s my notebook, it’s my voice recorder, it’s the place for my ideas, it’s my to do list, it’s my map when I’m lost, it’s my internet when I need information, it’s my email, it’s my Facebook to stay connected to my family and friends and so much more.” – Tony

Honorable Mentions for Indispensable Items
* Quick-drying underwear
* Hooded sweatshirts
* Sunglasses

You can get a taste of the expedition via this cool set of Flickr photos:

And of course you can check out the team’s YouTube channel. Here’s a good one from June, when Santiago gets some very manly face paint.

Our 2006 PR Week Award

PR Week today revealed the finalists for the prestigious PR Week Awards, and we are delighted to announce that the Expedition 206 project we’ve been working on with our friends at Coca-Cola is up for awards in two categories:  Global Campaign of the Year and Best Use of Social Media/Digital.   

It’s been a real privilege to work on this program.  In many ways, Expedition 206 represents the cutting edge of marketing.  It’s one of the first true global content marketing campaigns, if not the first, and only a brand like Coca-Cola can pull off something on this scale.  We’re proud to have had the opportunity to throw a shoulder into this effort, especially because it further validates our belief that content is the future of marketing.  We’ll have much more to say and announce on the topic of content marketing in the coming weeks, but in the meantime wanted to share this great news with all of you. 

The PR Week Awards winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony in New York on March 10, 2011. Here are the other finalists in each of our categories: 

Global Campaign of the Year

• Edelman and Starbucks Coffee Co.: Starbucks Earth Month Campaign

• GolinHarris Chicago and Dow: Bringing Water to the Nearly 1 Billion People Who Lack Access Through The Dow Live Earth Run for Water

• The Coca-Cola Co.: Coca-Cola’s 2010 FIFA World Cup Campaign

• The Coca-Cola Co.: Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206: 365 Days, 206 Countries, 1 Mission

• Yum! Brands and Weber Shandwick: Yum! Brands, Inc. for 3:33pm

Best Use of Social Media/Digital

• Biosector 2 and Boehringer Ingelheim: DRIVE4COPD Social Media and Digital Campaign

• Marina Maher Communications and U by Kotex, from Kimberly-Clark: Marketing A Feminine Care Product: A Reinvention

• MWW Group and Volkswagen of America: Volkswagen GTI Becomes the World’s First Car Launched Exclusively On A Mobile Device

• The Coca-Cola Company: Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206: 365 Days, 206 Countries, 1 Mission

• Weber Shandwick Seattle and US Army: Digital Storytelling: Sharing the Army Strong Story

When Coca-Cola’s globetrotting team of “happiness ambassadors” visited the United States, New York City was probably the only place that would do their energy and enthusiasm justice. Tony, Kelly and Antonio — the three who make up the Expedition 206 team — have brought happiness, excitement and creativity to each of the 145 countries they’ve visited since January 1, and the U.S. visit had high expectations. It required a big idea, and Fast Horse and Coke collaborated to come up with an idea six stories big.

What better way to make a splash than by doing something Coke has never done: turning its massive digital billboard in Times Square into an interactive opportunity to put consumers’ faces in the big, bright lights of one of the busiest spots in the world.

Expedition 206 is all about discovering what makes people around the world happy. In Times Square, the three happiness ambassadors were joined by a street team while interviewing passers-by about their sources of happiness. After snapping a photo and hitting “send” on the street team’s iPhone, the consumer’s face would appear on the billboard within a matter of seconds. To complement the on-site interviewing, we also set up a page to collect submissions from Coke’s Facebook page and from the Expedition 206 Twitter account.

With a solid mix of on-site consumer engagement, online outreach, media relations and a wealth of digital content creation (a video crew was on hand, and the happiness ambassadors are content factories!), I think it’s safe to call the U.S. visit a success. After this visit, the team is off to 50 or so more countries and territories before returning to the World of Coke in Atlanta at the end of the year. Imagine the stories they’ll have to tell then!

It’s a big weekend for Fast Horse, thanks to our friends at The Coca-Cola Company.

On Sunday, our own Dave Fransen will be in Pittsburgh, where Steelers legend “Mean Joe” Greene will be presented with the Clio award he won 30 years ago for his iconic Coca-Cola commercial (above). The 1979 commercial became one of the all-time classics, thanks to Greene and his co-star, 9-year-old Tommy Okon.

Greene never actually accepted his Clio, so Coca-Cola arranged for him to receive the award in a special pre-game ceremony at Heinz Field, featuring Steelers President Art Rooney II — and a much older Tommy Okon. Franny will be on hand to make sure everything goes smoothly.

If you’ve never seen the ad, it’s well worth one minute of your time — and I challenge you not to get a lump in your throat.

On Monday, Scott Broberg and Mike Keliher will be in Atlanta to help kick off Expedition 206, an ambitious, yearlong, social media marketing program.

Coke is sending three “happiness ambassadors” around the world – 206 countries in 365 days, with one mission: find out what makes people happy.

The winning team will be announced Monday, with the expedition launching on Jan. 1. You’ll be hearing more from them — and us — as three young people with the world’s coolest jobs  embark on their journey.

From Aruba to Zimbabwe and nearly every nation in between, a team of three young people will attempt to visit 206 countries where Coca-Cola is sold to seek out what makes people happy and share their happiness and enthusiasm with the rest of the world.  Dubbed “Expedition 206,” the year-long adventure throughout 2010 will bring Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness campaign to life as the travelers visit with people from different cultures, document their experiences and share stories of happiness throughout their journey.

Our role?  We’re part of a global team charged with creating worldwide excitement for Expedition 206. For the next 14 months or so, our focus will be on engaging journalists and the social media world as the team visits all 206 countries of the journey.  It begins in Madrid on January 1, 2010, and ends in Atlanta on December 31, 2010.

This is a dream assignment for any agency. We’re tickled to have been awarded the opportunity to lend our social media and media relations expertise.  Keep checking back here at the Peepshow for updates.  In the meantime, check out www.Expedition206.com to help select the three Happiness Ambassadors.