'Cat Herders': Retelling the Massive Success Story
22 October 2024
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Introduction
The 'Cat Herders' commercial is a remarkable piece of advertising history. But, more importantly, it's a case study in how creative work can transform a company's fortunes.
Video of the commercial is embedded in this article.
Here's the Story
In 2000, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) endeavored to change the company’s image to help advance growth and improve the morale of its employees. It hired the Fallon agency to create a campaign ... and the 'Cat Herders' commercial was born.
Alluding to the management-speak idiom, 'It's like herding cats'—referring to the impossibility of controlling the uncontrollable—it advances an analogy between herding cats and the solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.
The commercial showed cowboys (most were real, non-actors) herding thousands of cats across the Montana prairie, and it closed with the message, "We bring together information, ideas, and technologies and make them go where you want."
'Cat Herders' was shown on January 30, 2000, at the Super Bowl XXXIV and was cited by then-President Bill Clinton as his favorite commercial. 'Cat Herders' won the First Boards Award, a Cannes Silver Lion, a bronze Clio, Advertising Age’s Best Visual Effects Award, and a silver EFFIE Award. It also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial.
'Cat Herders' was a massive success. In addition to awards and accolades, EDS enjoyed an improvement in employee morale and corporate image, along with new business contracts and acquisitions. In 2000, EDS reported fourth-quarter earnings of $5.2 billion (equivalent to about $9.2 billion today), an increase in earnings and a new quarterly record high for the company.
'Cat Herders'—inclusive of its message, "We bring together information, ideas, and technologies and make them go where you want"—resonated with EDS, its employees, its existing clients, new (soon-to-be) clients, those otherwise working in the technology industry, and many others. One way to think about the successful commercial and its message is that there are solutions to seemingly impossible problems.
Credits for EDS' 'Cat Herders' (2000) Commercial
Sources for This Story
This article was based on information from the Television Academy - Emmy Awards, IMDb, The Wall Street Journal, HP, and the author. Note: EDS is currently part of HP.
Watch the 'Cat Herders' Video
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 22). 'Cat Herders': Retelling the Massive Success Story. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/cat-herders-success-story.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Content Acknowledgements
The image at the top of this article shows a circa 2000 television with a still frame extracted from the ‘Cat Herders’ commercial on-screen. The still is used under the doctrine of fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107) for the purposes of news reporting, commentary, and educational analysis. The use of this material is transformative in nature, serving to enhance public understanding and discussion of the subject matter. The still is not intended to substitute for the original video, nor does it aim to fulfill the same purpose. The selection of this particular frame was made to illustrate specific points relevant to our analysis, ensuring that the use is both minimal and necessary. The copyright for the video remains with EDS, the owner of the commercial. Note: EDS was subsequently acquired by HP.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Introduction
The 'Cat Herders' commercial is a remarkable piece of advertising history. But, more importantly, it's a case study in how creative work can transform a company's fortunes.
Video of the commercial is embedded in this article.
Here's the Story
In 2000, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) endeavored to change the company’s image to help advance growth and improve the morale of its employees. It hired the Fallon agency to create a campaign ... and the 'Cat Herders' commercial was born.
Alluding to the management-speak idiom, 'It's like herding cats'—referring to the impossibility of controlling the uncontrollable—it advances an analogy between herding cats and the solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.
The commercial showed cowboys (most were real, non-actors) herding thousands of cats across the Montana prairie, and it closed with the message, "We bring together information, ideas, and technologies and make them go where you want."
'Cat Herders' was shown on January 30, 2000, at the Super Bowl XXXIV and was cited by then-President Bill Clinton as his favorite commercial. 'Cat Herders' won the First Boards Award, a Cannes Silver Lion, a bronze Clio, Advertising Age’s Best Visual Effects Award, and a silver EFFIE Award. It also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial.
'Cat Herders' was a massive success. In addition to awards and accolades, EDS enjoyed an improvement in employee morale and corporate image, along with new business contracts and acquisitions. In 2000, EDS reported fourth-quarter earnings of $5.2 billion (equivalent to about $9.2 billion today), an increase in earnings and a new quarterly record high for the company.
'Cat Herders'—inclusive of its message, "We bring together information, ideas, and technologies and make them go where you want"—resonated with EDS, its employees, its existing clients, new (soon-to-be) clients, those otherwise working in the technology industry, and many others. One way to think about the successful commercial and its message is that there are solutions to seemingly impossible problems.
Credits for EDS' 'Cat Herders' (2000) Commercial
- Director: John O'Hagan
- Agency: Fallon
- Agency Producer: Judy Brink
- Agency Producer: Bob Wendt
- Agency Producer: Marty Wetherall
- Creative Director: David Lubars
- Production Company: Hungry Man
- Producer: JD Davison
- Assistant Director: Lee Blaine
- Cinematographer: Olivier Cocaul
- Production Designer: Leslie McDonald
- Stylist: Colleen Atwood
- Editor: Gordon Carey
Sources for This Story
This article was based on information from the Television Academy - Emmy Awards, IMDb, The Wall Street Journal, HP, and the author. Note: EDS is currently part of HP.
Watch the 'Cat Herders' Video
Re-sharing the “Cat Herders” success story
Video: #EDS | #Tech #Marketing #Advertising #Ideas #HP #Fallon #Cats #CatHerders #CatHerding #HerdingCats #Cowboys #SuperBowl #Commercial #SuperBowlCommercial
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In 2000, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) endeavored to change the… pic.twitter.com/jAnc7U68IJ
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more. 
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
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Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
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About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
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- 🇫🇮 Finland
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How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 22). 'Cat Herders': Retelling the Massive Success Story. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/cat-herders-success-story.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Content Acknowledgements
The image at the top of this article shows a circa 2000 television with a still frame extracted from the ‘Cat Herders’ commercial on-screen. The still is used under the doctrine of fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107) for the purposes of news reporting, commentary, and educational analysis. The use of this material is transformative in nature, serving to enhance public understanding and discussion of the subject matter. The still is not intended to substitute for the original video, nor does it aim to fulfill the same purpose. The selection of this particular frame was made to illustrate specific points relevant to our analysis, ensuring that the use is both minimal and necessary. The copyright for the video remains with EDS, the owner of the commercial. Note: EDS was subsequently acquired by HP.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.