ZIPS Cleaners wins big with sponsorship of first-time Preakness rider and Maryland native Feargal Lynch

The horse it picked may not have come in first, but ZIPS Cleaners nonetheless landed in the winner's circle with a special promotion tied to the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes in its native Maryland last month.

After having to make a last-minute pivot when its originally sponsored horse and rider were scratched only days before the race, ZIPS sprung into action and within 24 hours had teamed up with jockey Feargal Lynch in his first-ever Preakness run, riding atop a colt named Perform. A quickly updated lineup of social posts, in-store materials and track-side activities heralded the garment care chain’s involvement with Lynch, a native of Northern Ireland who, like ZIPS, now calls Maryland home. On race day, Lynch was joined by members of the ZIPS Corporate Team, principals of its parent company and several franchisees to celebrate his ride, then mounted Perform and circled the track wearing a uniform emblazoned with ZIPS logos.

When the dust settled, Perform was not victorious, however ZIPS reaped big winnings in the form of local and national exposure - views of its boosted social posts, plus on-site interaction at Pimlico via distribution of $10 gift cards and ZIPS branded merchandise - not to mention the opportunity to treat multiple members of its corporate and franchise family to the thrill of a Triple Crown event. As a crowning moment in the campaign, Lynch gave his pants and shirt to ZIPS to be professionally cleaned so he could preserve them as a memento of his Preakness run. ZIPS is now looking to leverage its ties to the sport by courting commercial business from the jockey network, the Pimlico Race Course and horse racing organizations.

“Horse racing is an exciting sport and we were proud to be affiliated with one of its premier events, right in our own backyard,” said ZIPS Cleaners President/CEO Bob Barry. “Just as the entrants in this world-famous race are among the finest of their breed, we consider ZIPS in a class by itself when it comes to customer service, convenience and dependability, and we thank Feargal for carrying our name with him.”