WhentheSuperBowlbegan,thecommercialsthatairedin1967werejustregularadswithnothingspecialaboutthem.
WorksCited:“1984(AdverGsement).”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundaGon,5Mar.2020,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(adverGsement).
Until Jan 22nd, 1984 ... Half-time
WashingtonRedskinsv.
LosAngelesRaiders
1984MacintoshCommercial
DirectedbyRidleyScoU(AlienandBladeRunner)
Cost$1.6milliontoproduce.
Thecommercialhastakenonlegendarystatusas“thebiggestsinglesplashinthehistoryofadverGsing.”
Thead’spurposewastoannouncethereleaseoftheMacintosh,AppleCorporaGon’snewpersonalcomputer.
WhenthisadverGsementaired,ApplewasinafightwithIBMtowincontrolofthepersonalcomputermarket.
IBMwasfamousforitsrigidcompanystructureandinsistenceonthatitsemployeesmaintainthe“blue-suitedcorporatelookanda\tude”.ThenicknameforIBMis“BigBlue.”
Intheearly1980’s
Apple’simagewasamaverick,anG-corporatecompany.
Thecompanyencouragedemployeestowearjeansandt-shirtstowork.
TheadwasalmostnotairedbecauseofthehighcostofairGmeduringtheSuperBowl.
Itcost$400,000toproduceandwasgoingtocost$800,000toappearONCEduringtheSuperBowl.
SteveWozniak(co-founderofApple)hadthistosay:"Oneevening…SteveJobsgrabbedmeandsaid,'Hey,comeoverhereandlookatthis.'Hepulledupa3/4-inchVCRandplayedthead.Iwasastounded.Ithoughtitwasthemostincrediblething.Thenhetoldmethattheboarddecidednottoshowit.Hedidn'tsaywhy.Iwassoshocked...
StevesaidweweregoingtorunitduringtheSuperBowl.Iaskedhowmuchitwasgoingtocost,andhetoldme$800,000.Isaid,'Well,I'llpayhalfofitifyouwill.’
IfigureditwasaproblemwiththecompanyjusGfyingtheexpenditure.IthoughtanadthatwassogreatapieceofscienceficGonshouldhaveitschancetobeseen.”
ItwasesGmatedthecommercialreached46.4percentofthehouseholdsinAmerica,afull50percentofthenaGon'smen,and36percentofthewomen.
TheadwaspaidtoaironlyONCE.
• AnyapprehensionApplemayhaveharboredregarding1984disappearedsecondsajerthespotran.SwitchboardsimmediatelylitupatCBS,andApplewithcallsdemandingtoknow,"Whatwasthat?"Loveitorhateit,thecommercialdemandedaUenGonandsparkedwidespreadcontroversy.
• ItwouldulGmatelygarneranesGmated$5millioninfreepublicity;allthreetelevisionnetworksandnearly50localstaGonsairednewsstoriesaboutthespot,mostreplayingitinitsenGrety,andhundredsofnewspapersandmagazineswroteaboutthephenomenon.
AdverGsingAgedeclared“1984”theCommercialoftheDecadeforthe1980’sandthenin1995nameditthe“greatestcommercial”ofthelastfijyyears.
Thecommercialwentontowinover30adverGsingindustryawards.
In1999,TVGuidenameditthebestcommercialevermade.
ItisnowconsideredamasterpieceinadverGsing,andiswidelyregardedasoneofthemostmemorableandsuccessfulAmericantelevisioncommercialsofallGme.
GoalsToday
• UnderstandthecharacterisGcsofdystopianliterature
• HowdodystopiancharacterisGcsandsymbolicimageryintheadworktogethertoconveyatheme?
• Howisthisthemeusedtopersuadetheaudiencetobuythisproduct?
