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December 8, 2003 Cover Story

Apple Concocts Homage to '1984'
Famed Ad Turns 20 at Super Bowl

Apple Computer wants to pay tribute to its most famous ad, "1984", during the 2004 Super Bowl, 20 years after the landmark spot ran on broadcast TV for the first and last time. The computer maker is in talks with its long-term ad agency, Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day about finding a way to mark the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh launch, according to an executive close to the situation. "It could be an interesting thing to do," said the executive, particularly given the success Apple has had in recent months with its stylish iPod digital music player and its iTunes Music Store, which has transformed the multibillion-dollar music business. "Apple is on a roll again," the executive said. A second agency executive confirmed internal discussions with Apple about developing a 20th anniversary spot that would be reminiscent of "1984".

"1984" begins with the sound of footsteps as bald individuals looking like prisoners are marched into a hall. An Orwellian Big Brother character on a large screen drones on with Marxist jingo until an athletic-looking woman pursued by guards sprints in and hurls a sledgehammer into the screen. A written message then appears: "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984'."

If Apple decides to undertake the effort, the project would carry certain risks. For one, the spot is famous in the marketing and advertising communities, but many younger viewers Apple now wants to reach were not born when "1984" ran the first time. "It's a daunting task [but not an impossible one]," said David Morrison, president, TWENTYSOMETHING Inc., a consulting, research, and trend forecasting firm. "The deck is largely stacked against it," he said, especially if Apple fails to garner enough publicity prior to the new spot to educate the target audience about the history of "1984", by, for example, coaxing TV news reporters to discuss and air the spot.

Apple's "1984" first appeared during Super Bowl XVIII, and cost between $400,000 and $600,000 to produce, according to reports at the time, and the price for the time in the game's fourth quarter was $1 million. The spot won more than 30 awards, including the Grand Prix at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes.

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