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Today in Pop Culture History: Apple’s 1984 Commercial

January 22, 2007 in TV, Today In Pop Culture by Sean | 1 comment

Apple LogoOn January 22nd, 1984, during Super Bowl XVIII, Apple’s iconic 1984 commercial aired for it’s only time. (Ok, so that’s not strictly true. It showed one other time, on a station in Twin Falls, ID, but I’m pretty sure nobody was watching). The commercial uses themes from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984 to portray IBM as Big Brother, wanting to control information and how you use it. In stark contrast to that, Apple was trying to set information free, to let you use it however you want. Definitely a noble cause.


Fun facts about the commercial:

  • It was directed by Ridley Scott, who also directed Gladiator, Blade Runner, and Alien
  • It almost didn’t air: Apple’s board didn’t want to show it, but VP of Marketing William V. Campbell and Executive VP of Marketing and Sales E. Floyd Kvamme decided to run with it anyway
  • TV Guide named it The Greatest Commercial of All Time in 1999

Is TV Guide smoking crack? You decide: