Apple's 1984 Commercial for Macintosh

At the first view of Apple's commercial that introduced Macintosh in 1984. I originally would have filed it under Bash um'. Studying the commercial in a few of my classes I learned a few things about what was really going on. Apple was introducing a ground breaking product in 1984 that people really did not know much about. The sci-fi action occurring in the commercial further left people wondering what Macintosh was and why they would be interested in it. This curiosity served as a tool for these people to ask questions and try to figure out what it was that was "going to make 1984 not seem like 1984 anymore" thus changing the world forever. The commercial depicted the future (sci-fi theme), and the commercial depicted triumph (girl throwing the hammer) as well as creativity. Although it appears like the commercial is strange and irrelevant, it is considered by many to be brilliant. The only way to measure the brilliance of this commercial would be the results. Did people go out and buy the original Mac after viewing this commercial? They certainty did. The message at the end of the commercial ties everything together and makes logic out of the scenes that left you scratching your head three quarters of the way through it.


Here is a clip of Apple's Macintosh commercial (originally aired in 1984)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

Banned Commercial

Many commercials are created and never make it to television. The biggest reason for this is suggestive or controversial content. A lot was made of the PETA commercial that was supposed to air during the 2009 Superbowl. The commercial contained content that suggested that vegetarians have better sex lives. The commercial also featured women in lingerie acting in a suggestive nature with vegetables (which would be inappropriate for younger viewers to see).

Below is an article I found online explaining in more detail why NBC banned this commercial. The link also includes a video clip of the commercial itself:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/petas-veggie-sex-super-bo_n_161180.html

Jingles in Advertising

A great tool used in advertising to help make a commercial (and in turn a product) memorable is the "jingle". A "jingle" (as defined by Thefreedictionary.com) means "to have the catchy sound of a simple, repetitious rhyme or doggerel.) In other words a jingle is a slogan with some rhythmic qualities or often a short song or group of sounds. This advertising tool is used to get stuck in a customers head, and (if done correctly) the customer will recall the product/service every time they remember the catchy jingle.

Here are some examples of successful jingles:

McDonalds: Have you had your break today?

Campbell's: Mm Mmm Good

Oscar Myer: I wish I were an Oscar Myer Weiner

Jello Pudding: J-E-L-L-O

Sloman Shield: Shield your home, with Sloman Shield

7-Up: 7-Up, It's an "Up-Thing"

Some of the jingles are still stuck in my head to this day and I can remember each product they stood for. Seeing as some of these jingles are a few years old and I can still recall them and their products, it seems as if the jingles were successful.

What kinds of jingles can you remember from old commercials?

2009 Superbowl Ad for Coke Zero

The Superbowl may be the biggest event of the year for the NFL, but it is also the biggest event of the year for advertisers and businesses. The average cost for a 30 second spot during the Superbowl is about 3 million dollars (so if your gonna advertise during the Superbowl you better make it count!).

The following commercial features NFL standout Troy Polamalu remaking the legendary "mean" Joe Green Superbowl ad that featured Joe talking to a young fan and drinking a bottle of Coke. This ad features Coke Zero and in my opinion was a little too cheesy and not as genuine as the original. What is accomplished is the attention they initially grabbed by remaking the famous ad (and re-emphasizing the Coke brand), so in retrospect although I didn't enjoy it as much, the commercial served its purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzj3Wlgtmpg

This Geico commercial was one of the first to use the famous "money with googly eyes" which has proven to be a very successful campaign.

The catchy old school song "somebody's watching me" sticks in the viewers head, the stack of money with the googly eyes is a recognizable character (which also gets the unique selling point to the viewer in clever fashion) and the use of humor adds likability to the commercials.

This particular commercial is one of my personal favorites with the waiter yelling Geico to the camera abruptly to que the music. Makes me crack up everytime, and its effective!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlwjIhHMWLQ