Great Ad Campaigns: Apple 1984The Super Bowl is about so much more than football. For a lot of people, it’s about the half-time performances, the A-List spectators, and of course, the ad campaigns. In fact, some people only tune in to watch the commercials.
Played during one of the most-watched television events of the year, the Super Bowl provides an opportunity for brands to receive maximum exposure to a global audience. The ads themselves are usually high-quality productions that often become viral videos. With more than 50 years of Super Bowl commercials, there have been a lot of stand-outs over the years. One of the most celebrated is the 1984 Apple ad campaign, which saw the launch of the first Macintosh personal computer. Acknowledged as one of the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time, the 1984 Apple ad has a lasting legacy. Let’s take a look at what made this ad so iconic, and what lessons can be learned 37 years later. 
Image Credit: Unsplash under Creative Commons
1984, but not as you thought you know itApple wasn’t messing around when it came to the creative for their 1984 ad.
Borrowing elements from the famous George Orwell novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and directed by Ridley Scott (who was fresh from directing another dystopian epic, Blade Runner), it didn’t even feature the product it was created to advertise, except for an appearance on the central character’s t-shirt. The ad features an Orwellian-inspired scene, where hundreds of uniformed men are addressed by a Big Brother-type figure on a big screen. A woman runs through brandishing a sledgehammer, before throwing it at the screen, destroying it. The on-screen text reads, “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984” It was an impactful, clever idea, that put the Macintosh computer on people’s radar. Costing $1 million, it soon made its way into movie theaters, with a shorter 30-second version also airing.
The ad helped Apple sell 72,000 computers in the first 100 days, which was double their prediction. The ad that almost wasn’tDespite the overwhelming and enduring success of the ad, it almost didn’t make it to air. When the ad was played to the Apple board, chief executive John Sculley reportedly called it “the worst commercial they had ever seen”, and it was nearly the end for the agency Chiat\Day, who created the ad.
Fortunately, the head of the agency, Jay Chiat, persevered. And the rest, they say, is history. Chiat\Day went on to direct many of Apple’s other big campaigns, including ‘Think Different’ in 1997 and ‘Get a Mac’ in 2006. How an ad changed tech marketingTechnology was in a very different place to where it is now. The computer boom was only really just beginning, with companies in a race to launch the best, most capable computers to get ahead of the competition.
Before 1984, IBM was the market leader in the industry. While Apple had enjoyed success since its launch in the 1970s, it was ready to take on IBM through the launch of the Apple Macintosh, which was set to revolutionize desktop publishing. Through the ad, Apple took literal aim at IBM. As the screen smashes, the men formerly bathed in blue light (a nod to IBM’s ‘Big Blue’ nickname), see the light that is Apple, revealing the Macintosh as their saviour. This calling out was considered shocking and controversial at the time, although today we’re used to seeing companies make references to their rivals in their marketing. In an interview with Business Insider, Fred Goldberg, who managed the Apple account, said: “It was the first time that anybody did something so outrageous on the Super Bowl. I didn’t immediately know it was going to be what it was, but it sure was a really great way to introduce the product and get attention." The impact the ad had was significant, being a topic of conversation the following day, and securing plenty of news coverage. And it was because of this ongoing coverage and repeated viewings, that it continued to be seen by a wide audience, who were quick to snap up the product once released. Being able to secure this demand set a precedent for other tech companies, as well as brands from other industries. Super Bowl ads quickly become a prime spot for brands to launch their latest products. Despite the success of 1984, 1985 proved to be somewhat of a disaster for Apple. Their ‘Lemmings’ Super Bowl spot, which featured a mass suicide, missed the mark and signalled a poor year for Apple. They lost revenue, leading to significant staffing cuts, while Steve Jobs also left the company. It goes to show that when you get it right, the payoff can be significant, but get it wrong, and the consequences could be disastrous. The lasting influence of 19841984 set the standard for Super Bowl ads for the next 37 years. A memorable ad will have a lasting impact, ensuring the brand is discussed in the days and weeks after the event. But now thanks to the internet, word spreads even faster, with the best ads becoming trending topics and viral videos on social media.
Brands looked to secure the biggest directors, the best creatives and even celebrities to make an impact. Appearances from cultural icons like Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford and Michael Jordan could generate headlines for days, leading to boosted sales and more. Five things copywriters can learn from Apple’s 19841. Parody is popular
People respond to parody. Done correctly, parody will entertain the audience, and get people clever. When it’s done well, people will respond to it. 1984 very clearly references Nineteen Eighty-Four, a reference that was easily understood by the masses. While it had a deeper meaning about society and the tech industry, a little familiarity can be a great tool for making an impact. 2. Use emotion Impactful ads will attract attention, and one way to attract attention is to use emotion to connect with an audience. Ads can be used to make people feel happy, sad, hopeful - a range of emotions. If you can script your creative to help people feel something, you can be sure people will still be thinking about your ad long after it has ended. 3. Know where the line is While Apple’s 1984 made headlines for being a bold commercial, Apple’s next attempt, ‘Lemmings’, made headlines for the wrong reasons. Described as ‘the horrifying Apple Super Bowl ad that time forgot’, the ad was seen as insulting customers, and the Macintosh Office product it was promoting, wasn’t launched for several years. It was met with silence in the stadium, a stark contrast from the reception received the previous year. While Apple had a bold approach to its marketing, this was one campaign that most people would rather forget. It was several years before Apple returned to the Super Bowl, with the 1995 HAL commercial marking the company’s return to the event. 4. Don’t be afraid to be ambitious 1984 set the standard for large-scale, ambitious ad creatives that were sure to stand out. With its large production budget, expensive set design and a major Hollywood director at the helm, Apple’s ad had an ambitious concept. This ambition paid off, and people were left talking about the ad itself in addition to the brand. An ambitious plan can pay off, and even though the Apple board were ready to scrap the ad, the creatives stood by their idea, and it paid off. It’s not always easy to convince someone that an idea is going to work, but it’s your job to help them see how it can work. 5. You don’t always need to feature the product to ensure success When a product is being advertised, it’s normal to see it appear in the ad. But sometimes, the ad doesn’t have to be about the product itself to develop some interest and intrigue. Apple chose not to feature its product, and it was a great tease for something big that was coming. Ads that feature a more story-based approach can have a significant impact, helping to promote the brand as much as the product. 1984 set a standard for Super Bowl commercials for the decades that followed and even influenced TV commercials and more. Proving that being bold can have the desired effect, it’s great to look back on one of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time and see just how far things have come since then. |