Apple's 1984 Ad with a twist...
 

Been by Apple's site lately?

I surfed by tonight, to look at the news from MacWorld, and saw that they had QT copies of the original 1984 commercial. I remember that commercial like it was yesterday. My boss bought a Macintosh about 3 days after the release. I have had one or three since that day. With that back story, it is no surprise that I immediately clicked the link for the commercial, ready for a little nostalgia.

Wait a minute.....she's got something on her belt that wasn't there 20 years ago.

Check it out. Steven's animators are absolutely the best in the business.

Hey...I didn't even notice that!

Good animation, but nothing we haven't seen before really.

I have never understood the appeal of that commercial. But on the subject of the iPod, I definitely prefer other brands of "digital jukeboxes" since they can record live and have digital/optical ins and outs.

Now that is one impressive piece of animation! Wow.

Here is a small piece of trivia for all the real Mac addicts out there. How many times did the commercial air?

I believe it may have only "officially" aired once, on the Super Bowl broadcast.

Eh?

Nifty.

Internet Explorer reports an "Object expected" error on the video page...

You -did- give them your credit card number, didn't you, Robert?

In keeping with industry tradition, Chiat/Day paid $10 to run 1984 in the 1:00 A.M. sign-off slot on December 15, 1983, at a small television station (KMVT, Channel 11) in Twin Falls, Idaho, thereby ensuring that the commercial would qualify for that year's advertising awards.

This commercial, designed by the advertising agency Chiat/Day to introduce Apple's Macintosh computer and directed by Ridley Scott fresh off his science fiction classic Blade Runner, has never run again since that Super Bowl spot. But few commercials have ever been more influential. Advertising Age named it the 1980s' Commercial of the Decade.

Sources:

http://www.cpinternet.com/cmcalone/cine/1984.html

Also my trusty Maclopedia

Sharon,

First time during the XXXVII 1984 Super Bowl...that one I'm pretty sure about. But I think it aired three more times...for some reason that number sticks in my head.

Did I win? Did I win? What's the prize?

Aw, John and I both lost, technically! The answer was 2. Nuts. I had the prize money already spent #-(

Ah...but don't forget the one showing at the Apple shareholder's meeting that year and also the one showing at the Clio awards. Four. Pay up!

You win. I do have to admit that those were not airtime broadcasts.

Supposedly (according to folks today on Macintouch and MacCentral) it was shown only ONE time as paid for by Apple. The second showing for the Clio award was paid for by Chiat/Day, and the MANY more showings were from reviewers, critics, and "Commercial Collection" shows.

It really was shown for the Clio awards? I should go in the BS business...wait a minute...I AM in the BS business. ;)