

'1984': As Good as It Gets - solipsist
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i543ab57159cb298a4d8c4c408b7a539d?pn=1

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wallflower
> Ken Segall did the brilliant “Here’s to the Crazy Ones” spot for the ’96
> Super Bowl, which remains one of my favorite spots. It reassured the
> faithful that good things were coming.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAB83Z1ydE>

My eyeballs just sweated.

~~~
toolate
I find these overly soppy ads a bit baffling. Ads in Australia and UK are
nowhere near as sickly sweet. Perhaps we are a bit more cynical.

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alex_c
Most ads in North America aren't like this, which is probably one reason this
stands out.

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js2
Good golly, this couldn't be any more topical right now:

 _We knew that if fax machines could bring down dictatorships, personal
computers could do infinitely more. The Big Brother of the spot wasn’t IBM—it
was any government dedicated to keeping its populace in the dark. We knew that
computers and communications could change all that._

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jfb
Point out to me a single dictatorship "brought down by fax machines". What a
load of starry-eyed wish-casting piffle.

~~~
sfphotoarts
generally big sticks and tanks have been more effective.

~~~
jfb
And it's not like the Stasi didn't have fax machines of their own.

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hugh3
Y'know, I've never thought the _1984_ ad was a particularly good one. Your
competitor is an evil dictator which has enslaved the world? Your product is a
short-shorted blonde hammer thrower who is going to set us all free? Really?
_Really?_

It's just a bit too over the top. Most advertisements try to steer clear of
criticising their competitors, much less demonising them. Otherwise you'd get
"Buy office supplies from OfficeMax! Because Office Depot is like _Hitler_!"

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SoftwareMaven
Did you read the article? He specifically mentions that the ad wasn't supposed
to be targeting IBM, but rather our fears of technology. It isn't surprising
that it was seen as targeting IBM (I always thought it did), but it is far
more interesting knowing that is wasn't.

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hugh3
I did, I just didn't believe them when they said it wasn't targeting IBM.

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nhebb
This commercial is often held up as the best commercial of all time, but I've
never gotten a clear answer to the simple question: how much did it impact
sales? They released the Macintosh a few days later and sales exceeded
expectations. How much of that was due to a new innovative product and how
much to the ad? I know it's difficult to pin a number on this, but I've always
suspected that Madison Avenue gets more caught up in the artistry than the
ROI.

~~~
hartror
I'm sure it has had a long term impact given people still talk about it.

I think what the X factor is was that the advertisement was a significant
break from what had already been done before in the medium of TV advertising.
But feel free to disagree (like you need an invitation) I was only 2 at the
time.

And I am sure the pleasant slow motion running of the ample breasted lady had
nothing to do with it at all ;)

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nhebb
OK, now I feel old. I was a sophomore in college at the time. I remember
winning a a nice bit of cash when the Raiders beat the Redskins, but I don't
remember anyone getting really excited about the product. To put things in
perspective, the Macintosh cost about $2500 back then, which is roughly $5000
in today's dollar. Even as an engineering student, I only knew a few people
with computers - but none with Macs.

I know that there are strong proponents of brand building, and that that
commercial did help establish their iconoclastic image. I just don't know
whether it translated into actual sales to the degree that it gets lauded. I'm
not trying to be a contrarian for argument's sake. I just think that the
success of Apple had way more to do with the return of Steve Jobs and the
creation of innovative products that people love than it did with a brand
building campaign.

~~~
pyre
On the other hand, it may be hard to judge that from your personal experience
as it seems that neither you nor your friends were in the target market. It
would make more sense to hear how it affected people with $5k to spend in
1984.

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guelo
Motorola is airing a lame-ish take on this ad for the super bowl

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndhuEUX1kIU>

