Apple Macintosh Launch, 1984
This "1984" Super Bowl commercial is considered to be the greatest and most creatively disruptive advertisement in history. It was only ever run on TV once!
The Macintosh computer was launched to the public on 24 January 1984 at a famous event known, funnily enough, as the “Macintosh Introduction”, held at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California. The event featured the iconic unveiling of the first ever Macintosh 128K, with Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs pulling the computer out of a bag and demonstrating its capabilities, including a graphic user interface and a mouse, both of which were revolutionary for personal computing at the time.
Every great story has a hero and a villain, and at this event Jobs introduced an enemy the audience could hate – an antagonist who must meet its demise for civilisation to flourish. IBM, conveniently nicknamed “Big Blue” at the time, would be playing the role of the villain.
One of the most memorable aspects of the launch was the airing of “1984”, a commercial conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas and Lee Clow at the Chiat/Day agency, and directed by Ridley Scott, who had directed Blade Runner and Alien. It depicted a dystopian world, inspired by George Orwell’s novel 1984, and positioned the Macintosh as the revolutionary product that would liberate the enslaved masses from conformity. A female athlete, representing the Macintosh, outruns the pursuing stormtroopers, and hurls a hammer at the ranting Orwellian face on the giant screen, resulting in a blinding explosion that serves to awaken the entranced audience. Boom!
The commercial concluded with the tagline: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984’.”
Watch a 4K restoration of that ad below or on YouTube HERE.
The commercial had aired for the first time only two days before, during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on 22 January … its one and only ever US daytime television broadcast. The ad, which doesn’t show the product at all, was so mysterious that by the time Jobs took the stage to introduce the Macintosh, there was already huge international interest in what Apple would launch at this event.
Shooting the commercial also proved to be a challenge. Says Scott in an interview for a “Making of Apple’s 1984 Commercial” video (see below): “One of the main problems was actually finding a girl who could throw a hammer and look businesslike.” They ultimately cast Anya Major, an English athlete. Also, to give the ad a gritty, futuristic feel while shooting in London, the creative team hired 300 locals as extras. Scott remembers “a rather frightening casting session with three or four hundred skinheads”.
The “1984” commercial is considered one of the greatest and most creatively disruptive advertisements in history and is credited with helping to generate excitement and interest in the Macintosh launch. It is also credited with kicking off the modern era of Super Bowl advertising, in which the commercials are as much a spectator sport as the game.
Finally, it’s relevant to point out that Apple’s Board of Directors hated the ad; but Jobs insisted it go to air, probably because he understood how critical it was to building Apple into not just an identifiable brand, but also a statement of personal identity.
Story Idea: Larry Buttrose
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