During the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh computer with a splashy TV advertisement. Directed by Ridley Scott, the commercial was inspired by George Orwell’s novel “1984,” and concluded with the tagline: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like '1984.’”
Although the computer was never shown, the advertisement was a sensation, captivating audiences and winning several prestigious awards.
While the commercial generated buzz, the Macintosh was just as groundbreaking. The launch introduced several revolutionary features including an improved graphical user interface with overlapping windows and menus, clickable icons that ran programs, and a handheld pointing device called a “mouse.”
My favorite part is how the BoD hated, hated, hated the spot and directed Chiat Day to re-sell the ad time. The :30 was sold but they couldn’t unload the :60, so they ran the spot anyway - much to the delight of Jobs (who loved it) and the creatives at Chiat Day.
And history was made.
I’m particularly partial to it because at one station, early in my career, we created a TV spot for our radio morning man which the bigwigs at corporate hated, hated, hated. We couldn’t withdraw it because we had “free” time from our sister television station, and nothing else to run, so run it did (many times.)
When the next ratings came out our morning man had shot from #3 to #1 in the market, and the series went on to capture awards and was syndicated to 50 other cities across the country.
When it comes to advertising, nobody knows nothin’.
