EDS' 'Running with the Squirrels' Likely to Stand Out Among 2001 Super Bowl TV Commercials
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Press Release
SOURCE: EDS
Ad Warns: Beware of Quick, Nimble and Agile Competitors in the Digital Economy Continues Campaign Launched with Award-Winning ‘Cat Herders’ Spot
NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — Continuing its tradition of epic television commercials, EDS (NYSE: EDS – news) today announced its latest ad, “Running with the Squirrels,” will premiere during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXV, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2001.
EDS created “Squirrels” as the third in a series of metaphoric advertisements, joining the award-winning “Cat Herders” and the “Airplane” sequel. Like its predecessors, “Squirrels” uses humor to demonstrate EDS’ ability to help companies manage the complexities of today’s digital economy.
“It is not the big, lumbering companies that corporate executives must worry about in the digital economy,” said Don Uzzi, senior vice president, EDS Global Advertising, Marketing and Communications. “You also have to keep your eye on the nimble and quick competitors constantly at your heels. The companies that have the ability to adjust and get to market quickly are the ones to fear, and EDS will help you compete with them.”
Beyond “e”
As the leading pure-play global services company, EDS has a nearly 40-year history of providing technology solutions for clients — big and small.
“The companies that we will read about as success stories 10 years from now will be the ones that have the capacity to go beyond ‘e’ … those that adapt quickly to new trends in technology and still achieve consistent, positive growth,” Uzzi added.
Squirrels
The commercial was shot on location in Pedraza, Spain with animal actors trained and filmed in California. “Running with the Squirrels” parodies the annual “Running of the Bulls” at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises.” “Squirrels” uses humor to reinforce the brand message launched anew by EDS last year.
“Squirrels” is the follow-up to EDS’ hugely popular “Cat Herders,” the Emmy-nominated commercial that debuted during last year’s Super Bowl, and “Airplane,” the spot that debuted this past Thanksgiving to highlight EDS’ ability to help companies transform digitally “on the fly.” It is a visual metaphor created to communicate that EDS can make its clients faster and more agile in today’s marketplace through the application of the right technologies.
Marketing partner Fallon Minneapolis created all three ads. The agency has worked with EDS for the past two years to develop and implement an integrated global communications strategy to raise the brand’s profile as a leader in electronic business.
“This is the third epic commercial EDS has debuted within the last 12 months,” said David Lubars, president and executive creative director at Fallon Minneapolis. “The first, ‘Cat Herders,’ talked about the importance of aligning a company’s scattered technologies and moving them in the right direction. The message of ‘Airplane’ is a natural follow-up in that it answers the question, ‘Now that I know what to do, how do I do it without messing up my company in the process?’ And now ‘Running with the Squirrels’ addresses the necessity of being able to operate as a fast, agile company.”
“Clicking with the Squirrels”
To extend the metaphor even further, EDS teamed with Duffy, a Fallon design company, to develop an enhanced, interactive version of the ad called “Clicking with the Squirrels,” which will be posted on eds.com during the game. The “Clicking with the Squirrels” ad leverages the value of the Web by providing information in engaging and meaningful ways. Internet users will be able to see the commercial in a whole new way.
“We’ve pushed interactivity on the Web. Essentially, we’ve created an interactive movie version of the ‘Squirrels’ Super Bowl spot,” said Keith Kuehn, vice president, EDS Online Marketing and Communications. “This creation is a direct reflection of EDS’ understanding of how to leverage technology to fit our customers’ needs. The ‘Clicking with the Squirrels’ is close to the edge of what’s possible to engage customers through the Web.”
About EDS
EDS, the leading pure-play global services company, provides strategy, implementation and hosting for clients managing the complexities of the digital economy. EDS brings together the world’s best technologies to address critical client business imperatives. It helps clients eliminate boundaries, collaborate in new ways, establish their customers’ trust and continuously seek improvement. EDS serves the world’s leading companies and governments in 55 countries globally. EDS reported revenues of $18.5 billion in 1999. The company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: EDS – news) and the London Stock Exchange. Learn more at http://www.eds.com.
About Fallon
Fallon Minneapolis, one of the world’s most critically acclaimed, creatively driven branding companies, manages the consumer voice of some of the world’s leading brands. With billings of more than $800 million, the company’s clients include, among others: BMW of North America, Citi, drugstore.com, EDS, Holiday Inn, International Truck and Engine Corp., The Lee Company, Nikon, Nordstrom, Nuveen Investments, PBS, Ralston Purina, Starbucks Coffee Company, Timex and United Airlines. Fallon Minneapolis is a part of Fallon Worldwide, the newly formed second global network of Publicis Groupe, based in Paris. Additional information can be found at http://www.fallon.com.
SOURCE: EDS