The executives at Apple were, to put it mildly, unsettled.
With Super Bowl XVIII just days away on Jan. 22, 1984, the planned commercial for the Macintosh computer—titled “1984”—made little sense. It didn’t even show the product. And if they were baffled, what would 100 million viewers think?
Initially, the board wanted to pull the ad, but a quiet act of defiance ensured it aired. Lee Clow of the advertising agency Chiat/Day, and Steve Jobs—though no longer running Apple, still deeply involved—were told to try and sell the airtime back to CBS. They pretended to comply, but secretly did nothing. After informing the board that CBS had declined, “1984” ran as scheduled during a lopsided game between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Washington Redskins.
The game is largely forgotten. The commercial remains iconic.
Super Bowl LX this Sunday might offer a contender (though it’s unlikely), but after 60 years of game broadcasts and countless commercials, only one truly stands apart—a break from the typical celebrity endorsements, jokes, and questionable taste.
“1984” aired only once nationally, yet it propelled the burgeoning personal computer revolution—and Apple—to new heights. But what made this 60-second spot so revolutionary?
The year itself played a role. 1984 felt monumental—Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” at the VMAs, “Purple Rain,” “Born in the USA,” “Ghostbusters,” and a host of other cultural touchstones. The literary backdrop was significant, too. George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (published in 1949) had arrived, lending a chilling new resonance to the phrase “Big Brother is Watching You.” IBM—nicknamed “Big Blue”—was on the verge of dominating personal computing, and Apple needed a bold strategy, or at least a memorable commercial.
Luck and circumstance provided both. Director Ridley Scott was available. He recalled in an interview that when Jobs and Clow showed him the storyboards, his first thought was, “My God, they are mad.” Despite his initial reaction, he accepted the job.
Scott used a desaturated, bluish tone to represent IBM, reminiscent of his 1982 film “Blade Runner.” For the set, he repurposed parts from two disassembled Boeing 747s—the engines, which hadn’t found a use in his 1979 film “Alien,” were prominently featured.
What did they symbolize? It’s open to interpretation, but they contributed to the ad’s dystopian, steam-punk aesthetic—a world crushed under the weight of Big Brother/IBM.
Scott, who had directed several commercials by then, approached each one as a “mini-movie.” He was particularly inspired by 1936’s “H.G. Wells’ Things to Come,” directed by Alexander Korda.
“Things to Come” was a bleak vision of a future war, but Korda infused it with Art Deco design and an optimistic ending. The film suggested that technology could save humanity, a promise echoed in “1984.” This wasn’t about the end; it was about a new beginning.
The 60-second spot opens with a seemingly endless line of workers marching into a stark, Soviet-style auditorium, dominated by a massive television screen—Orwell’s “telescreen”—overlooking the silent crowd:
“… We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause,” intones the voice of Big Brother, portrayed by English actor David Graham, known for his role in “Doctor Who.”
Then, a burst of color—a young woman (English athlete and model Anya Taylor) in bright red shorts—runs down a corridor, pursued by the Thought Police. She charges the screen and, with a powerful swing, shatters it with an Olympic hammer. A brilliant white flash fills the screen.
The ad concludes with a simple message: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’”
It was a moment that redefined Super Bowl advertising forever.
