'Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial' Analysis

The Apple Super Bowl commercial for the introduction of the Macintosh computer is widely regarded as one of the most effective and iconic commercials of all time. In this post I will be analysing the videos components in order to ascertain as to why exactly the commercial has been so successful.

First of all we must consider the apparent higher than usual production value of the advert. In 2005 writer Ted Friedman said the commercial had a then-"unheard-of production budget of $900,000." The commercial was also directed by now legendary film director Ridley Scott. Scott's involvement in the production is evident in the commercials cinematic quality that made it unique at the time.

The anti-establishment and big brother society message of the commercial significantly helps to engage the audiences attention. Its the classic narrative of the underdog rising up to fight the power. Apple here is portraying itself as the underdog to the then computer giant IBM. The commercial also has a mysteries quality to it by never actually showcasing the product it is advertising but instead implying how it will change the game. By building up this narrative of taking on the perceived evil superpower of IBM and playing on the audiences fear of loss of competition to the computer market, Apple successfully made itself the computer company to root for. All of this is summarised in the iconic and rememberable closing narration of "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 wont be like "1984"". The "1984" here is in reference to George Orwell's classic dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. 

The commercial is relatively short in length and does not feature much information on the product besides the fact that it will be some sort of 'revolutionary' from Apple Computer. While the personal computer was not necessarily an original idea, Apple has certainly made the most impact to  I believe these decisions were made as to not bore its audience with too much information and to keep an element of curiosity in the audience. The video and company embraces the ideology of "less is more".

The commercial has a surreal quality to it due to the combination of storytelling techniques that helps to liberate the audiences imagination of the possibility of rising up against 'Big Brother'.