Developing a new product is one thing. Marketing it successfully is another. In this case, Apple and Jobs set a marketing course that others have followed.
There is a “war” every year: the Super Bowl Commercial War. Loads of companies battle it out to see who has the best commercial during the big game, and companies spend as much as $5.6 million for a thirty-second slot.
How did it all begin? Apple founder Steve Jobs is the person to thank (or not).
It was 1984, and Apple was gearing up to introduce the revolutionary Macintosh computer. Apple turned to Blade Runner director Scott Ridley, advertising agency Chiat/Day, and creative director Lee Clow to make a dystopian commercial inspired by the George Orwell classic 1984.
Jobs and CEO John Sculley then bought a 90-second time slot to be shown during the Super Bowl that year, and that commercial set the bar for subsequent Super Bowl commercials.
The commercial opens with people marching in unison towards a giant television. Runner Anya Major shows up with a sledgehammer and an athletic shirt with an image of the Macintosh. We then see police chasing Major, and the giant television shows a Big Brother-type figure monologuing about the new age. “We shall prevail!” the figure yells while throwing a sledgehammer at the screen, shattering it. Actor Edward Grover closes the commercial with the announcement that (with the Macintosh) “1984 won’t be like 1984!”
Apple and Steve Jobs revolutionized the technology industry, but the impact goes far beyond the tech world. They initiated the Super Bowl commercial trend. Kudos to them for their revolutions!
