The Macintosh computer was launched to the public on 24 January 1984 at a famous event known 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 graphical 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 that 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, out runs the pursuing storm troopers, and hurls a hammer at a 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.'"
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 already was 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: “One of the main problems was actually finding a girl who could throw a hammer and look business-like.” 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.
The commercial 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 that it go to air, probably because he understood how critical it was to building Apple into not just an identifiable brand but a statement of personal identity.
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Postscript
When Epic Games, the developer of the popular Fortnite game, launched its campaign against Apple over alleged anticompetitive App Store policies, it premiered a shot-for-shot parody of Apple's famous 1984 commercial, titled "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite”. Whereas Apple's ad portrayed IBM as the evil "Big Brother," Epic Games aimed to show that Apple had now become the oppressive authoritarian power. Watch that video HERE.
Story Idea: Larry Buttrose
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_128K
wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(advertisement)
forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/01/24/mac-1984-steve-jobs-revolutionizes-the-art-of-corporate-storytelling
forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2020/01/27/a-personal-account-of-apples-macintosh-launch-36-years-ago
motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/heres-why-you-should-hate-apples-iconic-1984-ad
csmonitor.com/Technology/2014/0122/Why-Apple-s-1984-commercial-is-still-talked-about-today
macrumors.com/2020/09/01/ridley-scott-on-1984-ad-parody
Images
1. Screenshot from "1984" Super Bowl Commercial directed by Ridley Scott
2. Steve Jobs and Macintosh computer, January 1984, by Bernard Gotfryd. The image on the computer screen is 髪梳ける女 (A Woman Combing Her Hair), by Hashiguchi Goyo (1921).
3. Magazine ad for Macintosh, Personal Computing, April 1984
4. Video: 4K Restoration: 1984 Super Bowl Apple Macintosh Ad by Ridley Scott
5. Frames from "1984" ad
6. Superbowl XVIII Logo
7. Video: Making of Apple's 1984 Commercial - with Ridley Scott
8. Video: Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite ~ #FreeFortnite
