Lemmings (advertisement)

Last updated

Lemmings was a television commercial produced by the Chiat/Day advertising agency [1] that launched the "Macintosh Office" by Apple Computer in the United States, in January 1985, a year after the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in 1984. It was aired during the 1985 Super Bowl, a year after Apple's previous Super Bowl commercial, 1984 . The Lemmings commercial was a major failure, unlike 1984, and was widely seen as insulting to potential customers. [2] [3] Apple did not air another commercial during the Super Bowl until the Hal commercial in 1999.

The advertisement's name refers to an urban legend that lemmings periodically commit mass suicide. To the soundtrack of a whistled, discordant and down-tempo version of "Heigh-Ho", a long line of blindfolded office workers slowly makes its way through a dusty, windswept landscape to a cliff, where one by one they fall to their doom. A voiceover notes that the "Macintosh Office" will soon be announced. The last person in the line stops at the brink, uncovers his eyes and takes in the situation, as the announcer states "you can look into it". A second line of people is then shown, as the announcer continues, "or you can go on with business as usual".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sculley</span> American businessman

John Sculley III is an American businessman, entrepreneur and investor in high-tech startups. Sculley was vice-president (1970–1977) and president of PepsiCo (1977–1983), until he became chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. on April 8, 1983, a position he held until leaving in 1993. In May 1987, Sculley was named Silicon Valley's top-paid executive, with an annual salary of US$10.2 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 (advertisement)</span> 1984 American television commercial directed by Ridley Scott

"1984" is an American television commercial that introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer. It was conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas, and Lee Clow at Chiat/Day, produced by New York production company Fairbanks Films, and directed by Ridley Scott. The ad was an allusion to George Orwell's noted 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised "Big Brother". English athlete Anya Major performed as the unnamed heroine and David Graham as Big Brother. In the US, it first aired in 10 local outlets, including Twin Falls, Idaho, where Chiat/Day ran the ad on December 31, 1983, at the last possible break before midnight on KMVT, so that the advertisement qualified for the 1984 Clio Awards. Its second televised airing, and only US national airing, was on January 22, 1984, during a break in the third quarter of the telecast of Super Bowl XVIII by CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macintosh 128K</span> Original Macintosh Computer introduced by Apple Computer in 1984

The Macintosh, later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K, is the original Macintosh personal computer, from Apple. It is the first successful mass-market all-in-one desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse. It was pivotal in establishing desktop publishing as a general office function. The motherboard, a 9 in (23 cm) CRT monochrome monitor, and a floppy drive are in a beige case with integrated carrying handle; it has a keyboard and single-button mouse. The Macintosh was introduced by a television commercial titled "1984" during Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, and directed by Ridley Scott. Sales were strong at its initial release on January 24, 1984, at $2,495, and reached 70,000 units on May 3, 1984. Upon the release of its successor, the Macintosh 512K, it was rebranded as the Macintosh 128K. The computer's model number is M0001.

The Clio Awards is an annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication, as judged by an international panel of advertising professionals. Time magazine, in 1991, described the event as the world's most recognizable international advertising awards.

Switchers was an advertising campaign launched by Apple Computer, Inc. on June 10, 2002. It featured what the company referred to as "real people" who had "switched" from the Microsoft Windows platform to the Mac. An international television and print ad campaign directed users to a website where various "myths" about the Mac platform were "dispelled". The television commercials were directed by Errol Morris.

Jay Chiat was an American advertising executive who started his career as a copywriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think different</span> Slogan by Apple Inc.

"Think different" is an advertising slogan used from 1997 to 2002 by Apple Computer, Inc., now named Apple Inc. The campaign was created by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. The slogan has been widely taken as a response to the IBM slogan "Think". It was used in a television advertisement, several print advertisements, and several TV promos for Apple products.

Anya Major is an English athlete, actress, model and singer who starred in Apple Computer's "1984" commercial and, in 1985, appeared as "Nikita" in the video to Elton John's song of the same name.

BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. With more than 15,000 employees at 289 offices in 81 countries, it is the largest of three global networks of agencies in the portfolio of Omnicom Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TBWA\Chiat\Day</span> American advertising agency

TBWA\Chiat\Day is the American division of the advertising agency TBWA Worldwide. Created in the 1995 merger of TBWA and Chiat/Day, the agency operates offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, and Mexico City. Prior to the merger, Chiat/Day created internationally notable advertising, including "1984" for Apple Computer, the advertisement that introduced the Macintosh computer. The merger also inspired the creation of the ad agency St.Lukes by Chiat/Day's London office's employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl commercials</span> Television commercials during the Super Bowl

Super Bowl commercials, colloquially known as Super Bowl ads, are high-profile television commercials featured in the U.S. television broadcast of the Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). Super Bowl commercials have become a cultural phenomenon of their own alongside the game itself, as many viewers only watch the game to see the commercials. Many Super Bowl advertisements have become well known because of their cinematographic quality, unpredictability, surreal humor, and use of special effects. The use of celebrity cameos has also been common in Super Bowl ads. Some commercials airing during, or proposed to air during the game, have also attracted controversy due to the nature of their content.

Apple Inc. has had many notable advertisements since the 1980s. The "1984" Super Bowl commercial introduced the original Macintosh mimicking imagery from George Orwell's 1984. The 1990s Think Different campaign linked Apple to famous social figures such as John Lennon and Mahatma Gandhi, while also introducing "Think Different" as a new slogan for the company. Other popular advertising campaigns include the 2000s "iPod People", the 2002 Switch campaign, and most recently the Get a Mac campaign which ran from 2006 to 2009.

Guy Day was an American advertising executive who cofounded Chiat/Day with Jay Chiat in 1968. The agency went on to do memorable work for Apple Computer, including the Macintosh "1984" Super Bowl commercial. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

The Macintosh Office was an effort by Apple Computer to design an office-wide computing environment consisting of Macintosh computers, a local area networking system, a file server, and a networked laser printer. Apple announced Macintosh Office in January 1985 with a poorly received sixty-second Super Bowl commercial dubbed Lemmings. In the end, the file server would never ship and the Office project would be cancelled. However, the AppleTalk networking system and LaserWriter printer would be hugely successful in launching the desktop publishing revolution.

Steve Hayden is an American advertising executive. He is the Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Worldwide. Hayden is one of the most important figures of the late twentieth century advertising, leading creative teams at both Chiat/Day and BBDO on the Apple Inc.'s Computer account.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac (computer)</span> Family of personal computers made by Apple

The Mac, short for Macintosh, is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The name Macintosh is a reference to a type of apple called McIntosh. The product lineup includes the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, and the iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro desktops. Macs are sold with the macOS operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Buckley</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Bryan Buckley is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and two-time Academy Award nominated director. His successful career has led to him being dubbed the "King of the Super Bowl".

Team One, an advertising agency based in Los Angeles, California, is a division of Saatchi & Saatchi. It was founded in 1987 and focuses on luxury products and services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siltanen & Partners</span>

Siltanen & Partners is an American advertising agency, located in El Segundo, California. Which was founded by Rob Siltanen in 1999, following his departure from TBWA\Chiat\Day.

References

  1. Elliott, Stuart (24 April 2002). "Jay Chiat, Advertising Man on a Mission, Is Dead at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024. But a year later, Chiat/Day produced a widely derided Super Bowl commercial that portrayed executives who preferred I.B.M. as lemmings, which contributed to the agency's dismissal in 1986.
  2. Seibold, Chris (20 January 2011). "January 20, 1985: Apple Goes to the Well One Too Many Times". Apple Matters. sterndesign, LLC.
  3. Dormehl, Luke (20 January 2024). "Today in Apple history: Sequel to '1984' Mac ad bombs hard". Cult of Mac. Retrieved 30 April 2024. The dark, 30-second spot depicts blindfolded executives marching to their doom. The widely reviled ad will go down in history as one of Apple's biggest stinkers.