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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(advertisement) on 06/23/2010
1984 (advertisement)
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"1984"
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Produced by
Fairbanks Films, New York
Steve Hayden (copywriter)
Written by
Lee Clow (creative director)
Brent Thomas (art director)
Starring
Anya Major
David Graham
Cinematography Adrian Biddle
Editing by
Pamela Power
Distributed by
Apple Computer
Release date(s)
December 31, 1983 and January 22,
1984 (only daytime televised
broadcast)
Running time
Country
1 minute 0 seconds
United States
Language
English
Budget
$900,000
"1984" is an American television commercial which introduced the Apple Macintosh
personal computer for the first time. It was conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas
and Lee Clow at Chiat/Day, Venice, produced by New York production company
Fairbanks Films, and directed by Ridley Scott. Anya Major performed as the unnamed
heroine and David Graham as as Big Brother.[1][2] Its only daytime televised broadcast
was on January 22, 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII.[3] Chiat/Day also
ran the ad one other time on television, in December 1983 in Twin Falls, Idaho, so that
the advertisement could be submitted to award ceremonies for that year.[4][5] In addition,
starting on January 17, 1984 it was screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few
weeks.[4] It has since been seen on television commercial compilation specials, as well as
in "Retro-mercials" on TV Land.
"1984" used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by
her white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on it) as a means
of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother).[6] These images were an allusion to
George Orwell's noted novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future
ruled by a televised "Big Brother." The rows of marching minions have direct cinematic
parallels with the rows of marching minions in the opening scenes of the classic
dystopian film Metropolis.
Originally the subject of contention within Apple, it has nevertheless consistently been
lauded as a classic, winning critical acclaim over time. It is now considered a watershed
event[7] and a masterpiece[8] in advertising, and is widely regarded as one of the most
memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.
The commercial was rebroadcasted in an updated version in 2004 on its 20th anniversary,
with the heroine modified to be listening to an iPod. Viewers generally saw the Big
Brother target of the Apple ad as being Microsoft, with the original villain, IBM, being
all but forgotten.
Contents
[hide]
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1 Plot
2 Production
o 2.1 Development
o 2.2 Intended message
3 Reception
o 3.1 Awards
o 3.2 Social impact
4 Notes
5 Further reading
6 See also
7 External links
[edit] Plot
Big Brother (David Graham) speaking to his audience of drones.
The commercial opens with a dystopic, industrial setting in blue and gray tones, showing
a line of people (of ambiguous gender) marching in unison. They are moving through a
long tunnel monitored by a string of telescreens. This is in sharp contrast to the full-color
shots of the nameless heroine (Anya Major) who has appeared to rescue them. She looks
more like an Olympic track and field athlete than a soldier, as she is carrying a large
brass-headed hammer and is wearing an athletic "uniform" (bright orange athletic shorts,
running shoes, a white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer, a
white sweat band on her left wrist, and a red one on her right).[9]
As she is chased by four security guards (presumably agents of the Thought Police with
black riot-police uniform, helmets with visors covering their faces, and armed with large
night sticks) the heroine races towards a large screen with the image of a Big Brother-like
figure (David Graham) on it. He is celebrating the anniversary of the "Information
Purification Directives" (which he summarizes as an end to "contradictory thoughts") and
tells his audience that, "our 'Unification of Thoughts' is more powerful a weapon than any
fleet or army on earth":
“
Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information
Purification Directives. We have created for the first time in all history, a
garden of pure ideology. Where each worker may bloom secure from the
pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is
more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people,
with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to
death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!
”
The heroine, now close to the screen, hurls the hammer towards it, right at the moment
Big Brother announces, "we shall prevail!" In a flurry of light and smoke, the screen is
destroyed, shocking the people watching the speaker.
The commercial concludes with text which reads: "On January 24th, Apple Computer
will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984. " The commercial
ends with the Apple logo being displayed after the narration.
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
The commercial was created by the advertising agency Chiat/Day, Venice, with copy by
Steve Hayden[10], art direction by Brent Thomas and creative direction by Lee Clow.[11]
Ridley Scott (who had just finished filming Blade Runner the year prior) was hired by
agency producer Richard O'Neill to direct it, with a then-"unheard-of production budget
of $900,000."[12]
Steve Jobs and John Sculley were so enthusiastic about the final product that they
"...purchased one and a half minutes of ad time for the Super Bowl, annually the mostwatched television program in America. In December 1983 they screened the commercial
for the Apple Board of Directors. To Jobs' and Sculley's surprise, the entire board hated
the commercial."[12]
Despite the board’s dislike of the film, Steve Jobs continued to support it. Steve Wozniak
watched it and offered to pay for the spot personally if the board refused to air it.[10] Of
the original ninety seconds booked, Chiat/Day managed to resell thirty seconds to
another advertiser; leaving the other sixty second slot.[12]
[edit] Intended message
Adelia Cellini states in a 2004 article for Macworld, "The Story Behind Apple's '1984'
TV Commercial":
Let's see - an all-powerful entity blathering on about Unification of Thoughts to
an army of soulless drones, only to be brought down by a plucky, Apple-esque
underdog. So Big Brother, the villain from Apple's '1984' Mac ad, represented
IBM, right? According to the ad's creators, that's not exactly the case. The original
concept was to show the fight for the control of computer technology as a struggle
of the few against the many, says TBWA/Chiat/Day's Lee Clow. Apple wanted
the Mac to symbolize the idea of empowerment, with the ad showcasing the Mac
as a tool for combating conformity and asserting originality. What better way to
do that than have a striking blonde athlete take a sledghammer to the face of that
ultimate symbol of conformity, Big Brother?[6]
However, in his 1983 Apple keynote address, Steve Jobs made the following comment
before showcasing a preview of the commercial to a select audience:
It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope
to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers initially welcoming IBM with open
arms now fear an IBM-dominated and -controlled future. They are increasingly
turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom. IBM
wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple.
Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age?
Was George Orwell right?[13]
[edit] Reception
The first Macintosh (1984), The Macintosh 128K
[edit] Awards
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2007: Best Super Bowl Spot (in the game's 40-year history)[14]
2003: WFA - Hall of Fame Award (Jubilee Golden Award)
1999: TV Guide - Number One Greatest Commercial of All Time[15]
1995: Advertising Age - Greatest Commercial[16]
1995: Clio Awards - Hall of Fame
1984: Clio Awards
1984: 31st Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival - Grand Prix[17]
[edit] Social impact
Ted Friedman, in his 2005 text, Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture, notes
the impact of the commercial:
Super Bowl viewers were overwhelmed by the startling ad. The ad garnered
millions of dollars worth of free publicity, as news programs rebroadcast it that
night. It was quickly hailed by many in the advertising industry as a masterwork.
Advertising Age named it the 1980s Commercial of the Decade, and it continues
to rank high on lists of the most influential commercials of all time [...] '1984' was
never broadcast again, adding to its mystique.[12]
"1984" became a signature representation of Apple computers. It was scripted as a
thematic element in the 1999 docudrama, Pirates of Silicon Valley, which explores the
rise of Apple and Microsoft (the film opens and closes with references to the commercial
including a re-enactment of the heroine running towards the screen of Big Brother and
clips of the original commercial).[18] The "1984" ad was also prominent in the 20th
anniversary celebration of the Macintosh in 2004, as Apple reposted a new version of the
ad on its website. In this updated version, an iPod, complete with signature white
earbuds, was digitally added to the heroine. Attendees were given a poster showing the
heroine with iPod as a commemorative gift.[19]
"1984" was parodied in the Futurama episode "Future Stock", in which a cryogenically
frozen 1980's businessman makes a commercial for Planet Express, the protagonist's
business. The ad follows the original (albeit with the character's competitor as the head
on the screen). When the screen is destroyed, one of the drones yells, "Hey! We were
watching that!" Planet Express employee Turanga Leela complains that the intended
message, or even the product being sold by the commercial, is impossible to discern. In
the 2008 episode of The Simpsons, "Mypods and Boomsticks," Comic Book Guy wields
the hammer and vaults it toward the fictitious Steve Mobbs of Mapple Inc., a parody of
Apple.
In a similar spirit, Valve created a parody ad set in the Half-Life 2 universe, with Dr.
Breen playing the part of Big Brother. As Alyx runs in and throws the series' signature
crowbar at the screen, overlay text announces the date of Half-Life 2's Mac OS X release.
In 2010 the Daily Show with Jon Stewart referenced the ad, and did a bit on Apple's
handling of the case of Jason Chen, a blogger who wrote about an allegedly stolen iPhone
prototype.
Stewart: "Remember back in 1984, you had those awesome ads about overthrowing Big
Brother? Look in the mirror, man! …It wasn't supposed to be this way - Microsoft was
supposed to be the evil one! But you guys are busting down doors in Palo Alto"[20]
[edit] Notes
1. ^ David Graham
2. ^ Google Answers article #741952
3. ^ Apple's 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh in the Cultural History of
Personal Computers
4. ^ a b "1984 Apple Commercial: The making of a legend". The Mac Bathroom
Reader. http://www.curtsmedia.com/cine/1984.html. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
5. ^ Pogue, David; Joseph Schorr (1993). Macworld Macintosh SECRETS. San
Mateo, California: IDG Books Worldwide. pp. 251. ISBN 1-56884-025-X.
6. ^ a b Cellini, Adelia (2004-01). "The Story Behind Apple's '1984' TV commercial:
Big Brother at 20". MacWorld 21.1, page 18.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb197/is_200401/ai_n5556112. Retrieved
2008-05-09.
7. ^ Apple's '1984' Super Bowl commercial still stands as watershed event
8. ^ Leopold, Todd (2006-02-03). "Why 2006 isn't like '1984'". CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/02/eye.ent.commercials/. Retrieved
2008-05-10.
9. ^ AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY OF VISUAL CUES IN ADVERTISING
10. ^ a b Hansen, Liane (1 February 2004). "A Look Back at Apple's Super Ad". NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1627800. Retrieved 200805-10.
11. ^ "Lee Clow: His Masterpiece".
http://www.ciadvertising.org/SA/fall_02/adv382j/qwkag/assign2/master.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-10.
12. ^ a b c d Friedman, Ted (2005). "Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture,
Chapter 5:1984". New York University Press.
http://www.tedfriedman.com/electricdreams/2005/02/apples_1984.php. Retrieved
2008-05-10.
13. ^ 1983 Apple Keynote-The "1984" Ad Introduction
14. ^ Apple's '1984' named best Super Bowl spot
15. ^ TV Guide Names Apple's "1984" Commercial As #1 All-Time Commercial!
16. ^ THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; A new ranking of the '50 best'
television commercials ever made
17. ^ ADVERTISING; ; Chiat Wins at Cannes For '1984' Apple Spot
18. ^ Film review
19. ^ The Apple Mac is 20
20. ^ Jon Stewart to Apple: ‘Microsoft was supposed to be the evil one’, David
Edwards April 29th, 2010, accessed 2010 5 27, rawstory.com
[edit] Further reading


Cellini, Adelia. "The story behind Apple's '1984' TV commercial: Big Brother at
20.(Mac Beat)." Macworld, January, 2004.
Clow, Lee. Lee Clow: His Masterpiece - 1984

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
Friedman, Ted "Chapter Five: Apple's 1984." Electric Dreams: Computers in
American Culture. New York: NYU Press, 2005: 100-120.
Hansen, Liane. "A Look Back at Apple's Super Ad: Landmark 1984 Spot
Smashed 'Big Brother,' Launched the Mac." NPR, February 1, 2004. (Steve
Hayden interview)
Leopold, Todd. Why 2006 isn't like '1984'. CNN, February 3, 2006.
Maney, Kevin. "Apple's '1984' Super Bowl commercial still stands as watershed
event." USA Today, January 28, 2004.
Mr. Showbiz. "Interview with Ridley Scott
myoldmac.net. "In Memory of Jef Raskin ... He Thought Different: The Making
of 1984."
Moriarty, Sandra. "AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY OF VISUAL CUES IN
ADVERTISING," University of Colorado.
Roszak, Theodore. "Raging Against the Machine: In its '1984' Commercial, Apple
Suggested that its Computers Would Smash Big Brother. But Technology Gave
Him More Control." Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2004.
Scott, Linda. "For the Rest of Us": A Reader-Oriented Interpretation of Apple's
'1984' Commercial." The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 25 Issue 1,
Summer 1991: 67-81.
[edit] See also

Get a Mac
[edit] External links



1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (video clip) — indexed by the University of
Michigan Library
1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (video clip) — subtitled
1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial and text of Big Brother's speech as
performed in the commercial
[hide]
v•d•e
Films directed by Ridley Scott
1970s
The Duellists (1977) · Alien (1979)
1980s
Blade Runner (1982) · Legend (1985) · Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) ·
Black Rain (1989)
1990s
Thelma & Louise (1991) · 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) · White Squall
(1996) · G.I. Jane (1997)
2000s
Gladiator (2000) · Hannibal (2001) · Black Hawk Down (2001) · Matchstick
Men (2003) · Kingdom of Heaven (2005) · A Good Year (2006) · American
Gangster (2007) · Body of Lies (2008)
2010s
Robin Hood (2010)
See also: 1984 (television commercial) (1984), Boy and Bicycle (short film) (1965)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(advertisement)"
Categories: Apple Inc. advertising | Advertising campaigns | Films based on Nineteen
Eighty-Four | Films directed by Ridley Scott | History of computing hardware | Steve
Jobs | Television commercials | 1984 in television | Super Bowl related advertising
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