I was 16 when I watched the "1984" tv spot in India (and it was in the commercial break of an American TV show on a video tape). First of all, I loved Ridley Scott and the spot was captivating. Of course, in those days people swore by Big Blue but I was immediately drawn to this scrappy underdog that wanted to smash this oppressive system – even though I didn't know what the "system" was. I didn't know anyone in the mid-80's that owned an apple but the imagery stayed with me. I began using an apple in 1990. It was so much easier and intuitive than DOS and the early version of windows. But what I've always loved in the Word of Mouth marketing that apple has generated, the kinship and loyalty of apple users, and the evangelism of the die-hards. Apple was social before social was cool.

In our business today at Firebelly Marketing, we have to use both PC's and Apples. Thats the only way we can test the websites, micro-sites and landing we develop – with IE (and all its glorious versions) – but we all get along regardless of our computer preferences.

Anyway, here's the text of the original commercial (done by TBWA/Chiat Day). And, here's some further reading if you're diggin' it.

Apple Museum

Apple TV Ads

Apple's 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh
in the Cultural History of Personal Computers
by Ted Friedman
Revised version of a paper presented at the Society for the History of Technology Convention, Pasadena, California, October 1997.