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Apple’s new creative does the job by going too far

May 10, 2024 04:24 PM IST

The epitome of Apple’s groundbreaking advertising strategy is encapsulated in the “1984” commercial, which introduced the Apple Macintosh

Earlier this week, Apple aired an ad that describes the prowess of the new iPad. It drove the creative community into a funk. The minute-long commercial advertises that the new iPad Pro is here to ‘crush’ everything we believe is dear to us. To show us that it crushes lovely artworks, musical instruments, contemporary emojis and much else under a crushing machine. The brute force deployed is almost heartbreaking. But those who have followed Apple closely over the years know that when it comes to a new ad such as this, a “jump the curve moment” has arrived in Apple-speak, says Rajesh Srivastava. The corporate veteran now teaches marketing at Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore and is the author of two best-selling books on marketing and strategy.

Apple (Representative Photo)

Srivastava explains that Apple’s approach to technology and marketing can best be understood as a relentless pursuit of innovation coupled with a knack for theatrical, impactful advertising. This dual thrust has not only positioned Apple as a category killer “whose intent is to crush the competition” in every segment it is in. Even as it does that, the product etches itself in the collective memory of its audience. There is a long history to this, he explains.

The epitome of Apple’s ground-breaking advertising strategy is encapsulated in the “1984” commercial, which introduced the Apple Macintosh. Directed by Ridley Scott, the ad aired only once on TV and was never broadcast again. Yet, its influence was profound and long-lasting. The commercial opens in a dreary, totalitarian setting, with rows of colourless, uniformed individuals watching a Big Brother-like figure speaking on a giant screen.

Suddenly, a woman in bright red shorts and a white tank top, symbolic of freedom and rebellion, races into the room and hurls a sledgehammer at the screen which explodes, shocking the rest into silence. The voice-over announces, “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’”

This ad did more than just launch a product; it positioned Apple as a liberator in the technology world, challenging the status quo and promising to deliver its users from a monotonous computing experience dominated by IBM. It wasn’t merely an advertisement for a computer; it was a declaration of Apple’s ethos, portraying the Macintosh as a tool of empowerment and creativity, as opposed to the ‘Orwellian Dictatorship’ of IBM.

As Apple continued to introduce new products, its

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