On January 22, 1984 Apple Macintosh released the first "super-bowl commercial" that started the continuing legacy. The revolutionary advertisement has won several awards and never even showed the product. Super Bowl viewers were overwhelmed by the startling ad. It was quickly hailed by many in the advertising industry as a masterpiece.
The cost to create the commercial was $900,000. It was first aired during the third quarter of Superbowl XVIII. The ad was filmed in London, using actual skinheads playing the mute bald men. They were paid $125 a day to sit and stare at Big Brother; those who still had hair were paid to shave their heads for the shoot. In December 1983 they screened the commercial for the Apple Board of Directors. To Jobs' surprise, the entire board hated the commercial. When the ad aired, controversy erupted. Viewers either loved or hated
the ad, and it spurred a wave of media coverage that involved news shows
replaying the ad as part of covering it, leading to estimates of an
additional $5 million in "free" airtime for the ad. All three national
networks, plus countless local markets, ran news stories about the ad.
"1984" become a cultural event, and served as a blueprint for future
Apple product launches. The video below is the footage of Steve Job's airing the commercial for the first time.
