Apple's '1984' Ad Is 'Overrated,' Guru Regis McKenna Says

Apple's famed "1984" ad, which introduced Apple's Macintosh computer for the first time, is one of the most famous TV commercials of all time.

The ad is modeled on George Orwell's book of the same name and depicts IBM users as mindless, gray robots who can only be saved by an Iconoclast, i.e. Apple, represented here as a beautiful woman who rebels against Big Brother by hurling her hammer through his giant onscreen image.

The spot concludes with the words "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'"

Despite the commercial's enduring fame -- Rick Santorum recently copied it for a campaign commercial -- according to an AdAge interview with Apple's "first marketing guru" Regis McKenna, it failed at its primary purpose, which was to sell Macintosh computers. McKenna, whose firm was the first to handle Apple's advertising and PR needs, told Ad Age:

The ad was more successful than the Mac itself. The Mac was expensive to build, and Apple's margins went negative in 1986. That conflict led to Steve's ouster from Apple[..] The ad set an attitude of rebellion against the status quo, and it probably continues to serve Apple today.

While it may not have been able to combat the Mac's issues, the commercial is broadly credited with establishing Apple's brand identity as that of an opponent to the status quo. With its big name Hollywood director (Ridley Scott) and huge production costs, the ad, which aired during the Super Bowl, also set the bar for the Super Bowl ads that we still enjoy today.

As CNET, which wrote about the 25th anniversary of "1984" in 2009, points out, the ad has become more and more ironic as Apple products like the iPhone and iPad gain a more and more cult-like following among fans. With each Apple release, the lines get longer, the black market prices get higher and the glazed-eyed masses willing to trample each other for a phone, look more and more the same. "As critics of the 'Apple cult' have pointed out, they seem to be willing to believe their fearless leader's every word," CNET writes.

Check out our slideshow below to see 11 more memorable tech ads, and read Ad Age's full interview with McKenna -- which includes his take on marketing startups, Apple's "antennagate" uproar, and the Steve Jobs biography -- right here.

Comments

[Antifascist-08]

03:10 PM on 03/07/2012

Regis who?

Sometimes even adsters don't get it right- this was a great commercial that will stand to the end of time, even if Apple never sold anything again. But wait, they are selling lots and lots of stuff, aren't they. And this fool is just spouting off marketing jingo. No one has patience any more, just go for the instant gratification. Some people like Apple stick with their beliefs.

Turns out the ad WAS everything they said it would be, if that actually matters.

[anthonyparker80]

09:45 AM on 03/07/2012

Think different should apply to Apple zealots who fall for the Apple Hype

Listening HP ?

[DRaymond]

12:10 AM on 03/07/2012

I too have observed the irony of Apple transforming to the huge release events with crowds of rapt worshipers watched the huge face of Steve Jobs tell them what to do.

I also agree that there are a lot of super bowl ads that are so wrapped up in the expense and showmanship but at the end forget that they are supposed to make you want to buy the product.  The 1984 ad did not have that.   On the other hand the iPod ad closed the deal as to why you would want to have one.  Also unlike the 1984 ad the iPod ad set the graphic tone of the entire company for several years.

[Terry Colby]

06:53 PM on 03/06/2012

I think this ad is now more appropriate for the Androids. The people in the audience are now the AppleHeads and the person throwing the hammer is an Android developer.

[Antifascist-08]

03:12 PM on 03/07/2012

yeh right. More like they are throwing their Androids out the window. And 'Android', what an appealing name to market...fail.

[StevieTheK]

06:05 PM on 03/06/2012

you know what's really overrated?

Regis McKenna.

[Antifascist-08]

03:12 PM on 03/07/2012

rim shot, cymbal.

right on, fanned

[DeanWormer]

09:56 AM on 03/06/2012

Most overrated ad of all time. It really wasn't well-received when it originally came out. It certainly didn't drive the corporate business they were going after.

[Antifascist-08]

03:15 PM on 03/07/2012

It went deeper, where people like you never go.

Some of us actually lived this from start to today. Sometimes things happen 'before their time' for some people. This ad will live in history for reasons you don't understand. its not all about sales and money, you know.

Oh, wait. You don't know.

[milesthemad]

06:59 AM on 03/06/2012

The first computer I used that I found user friendly and an absolute delight to use was Apple Mac. I'm no Apple fan but Apple Mac was the first computer to be made for those of us who aren't computer savvy or geeks. I don't buy Apple products like iPads because they are too expensive where I live and I live in an area where reliable or strong enough reception even to make a call on a mobile phone is impossible. it would be nice if Apple could make an iPad that could work in areas with poor reception.

[TashaDK]

05:59 AM on 03/07/2012

You know that the base model iPad works with WiFi only. So you can use it anywhere you have a standard wireless connection (ie your home network). You don't need Cellular reception to use it. Also, much of what you can do with a iPad can be done over the sync cable (ie you buy content from iTunes). Also you can save money by buying a refurbished iPad from Apple. If iPad 3 is announced tomoorow stock of Refurb iPad 2 should go down in cost.

[ScottNY]

06:47 PM on 03/05/2012

How is the ad overrated when it did what it was supposed to do. The product may not have lived up to the ad.

[DRaymond]

12:20 AM on 03/07/2012

The ad did not really give you a compelling reason why you actually wanted one.   Compare it to the iPod ad in the slide set.

[Antifascist-08]

03:18 PM on 03/07/2012

The ads are different. Both were effective, and the original ad got everyones' attention when Apple was just a small company. You can't compare the two ads anyway. One was for a specific product, the other for an idea.

Why do people like you have to nit pick this so much? Just curious.

[WSAY]

06:42 PM on 03/05/2012

Actually, the commercial is broadly (and correctly) credited with being the impetus for today's innovative Super Bowl Commercials. Is there anything Apple that is not repeatedly copied?

[MakeEmCare]

07:31 PM on 03/06/2012

Hopefully their brutal factory conditions aren't copied, but I am sure they will be.

[sid8p]

07:43 PM on 03/06/2012

I think Apple copied that from Nike.

[TashaDK]

06:01 AM on 03/07/2012

Foxconn makes computers and cell phones for every major Tech Vendor out there. So HP, Dell, and many others have the same and possibly worse conditions than the lines where Apple products are made. I say probably worse, because little to no attention is given to the assembly lines that Foxconn runs for those other companies.

Oh and Apple moved it's factories to China only after the rest of the industry had been there for years. Apple couldn't compete with the others when they had factories here in the US and in Ireland.

[grkow]

05:04 PM on 03/05/2012

Of course it was another overrated Apple creation. I went PC in 1995 and never regretted the decision and never expect to own an Apple product.

However, I am pleased with my decision to pick up 50 shares of Apple in 2008 for $135 due to the prompting of a family member who is a Mac fanatic. Ironically he never owned any Apple stock.

[sinnerG7]

05:04 PM on 03/05/2012

The "When I Grow up" commercial was funniest one for a long time.Ya the Mac commercial was "Epic" at the time How Ironic that they've become the 600lbs gorilla that everyone fears.

[MichaelMcKLA]

04:03 PM on 03/05/2012

Why the Mac didn't sell well after the commercial aired had a great deal to do with its features and the much higher price than what Jobs wanted to sell it for. Read about it in his biography. The ad got people into stores in droves, and so it was successful. That's what most ads are intended to do -- create walk-in traffic, web hits, emails or phone calls. McKenna ought to know better.

[Bathat]

03:48 PM on 03/05/2012

All I know is I vividly remember watching that ad during the Super Bowl while sitting in a Shakey's Pizza restaurant in Ventura, California. On the other hand, I've never bought an Apple product in my life.

[NHBill]

03:26 PM on 03/05/2012

Ads can't fix manufacturing issues.
The fact that anyone is still talking about this ad nearly 30 years later speaks for itself.

[neverwrong15]

02:24 PM on 03/05/2012

I'm waiting for the new Macbook Pro's to come out so I can decide if I'm switching to MAC. They make great products, but with Windows 7 being a good OS and Windows 8 around the corner I have to decide if the premium you pay for a MAC will be worth it.

[NHBill]

03:24 PM on 03/05/2012

If you are going iPhone and/or iPad then it will be worth it.
If not then it's probably a wash.
Provided the Windows notebook is of the same build quality, or better, and not just specs.
Apple for instance machines their aluminum alloy chassis out of solid blocks instead of joining pieces together or using cheaper materials.

[WSAY]

06:44 PM on 03/05/2012

Apple is a good choice. They are fanatics for making hight quality innovative products. Job's philosophy was, "forget the profits, just make creative quality products." It works for Apple.

[Scott Colbert]

10:16 AM on 03/06/2012

Apple litigates, they don't innovate. There is nothing in any of their products that wasn't available before.