INDUSTRY ADVICE A “Bitten Apple” Humanized Technology By Ricardo Gaitán / Luz Amparo Ricardo Gómez A female athlete runs through the movie theater, being chased by the police o昀케cers. Before they can stop her, she throws a he ‘bitten apple’ logo, introduced with the Macintosh sledgehammer at the screen, metaphorically destroying the tyrant. personal computer in 1984, played a pivotal role in 吀栀e 昀椀lm closes with the image of the bitten apple and the text: the product’s success, reinforcing the message that “On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And ‘Technology had been humanized’. you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984’”. 吀栀e ad spot directed by Ridley Scott, a British It is essential to clarify that the 昀椀rst broadcast of the ad was not Tproducer, contributed to a record $155 million in in 1984. 吀栀e 昀椀rst airing took place during the night of December Macintosh computer sales six months after the game was broadcast, 31, 1983, as Gisela Baños points out in X. 吀栀e reason was that Apple making Apple the most successful company in the industry. already believed that this ad could be historic and wanted to submit it to a contest that awarded the most outstanding advertising spots The Simplicity of a Powerful Symbol in the United States. It was an essential requirement that it be 吀栀is symbol has a unique quality: structural simplicity. 吀栀e broadcast before the end of the year. concise design of the apple superimposes the company’s central 吀栀e real 昀椀rst broadcast took place silently on a local television idea, which is technology. In 2011, the multicolored apple changed station in California before the end of 1983. to the white version we know today. Marketing experts considered Apple’s short 昀椀lm to be the most 吀栀e commercial was nearly not aired, among other things, innovative in Super Bowl history, and it’s one of the reasons Apple’s because of widespread opposition led by John Sculley, Apple’s CEO “bitten apple” is still being identi昀椀ed 40 years later. at the time, who thought it was arbitrary. Another explanation is that neither a single Apple product nor a photograph of the Macintosh is advertised. Finally, pressure from the marketing team and Steve Jobs, obsessed with the ad, prevailed. The Ad That Set the Tone In the commercial broadcast, Scott surprised everyone with a homage to the novel of the same name written by George Orwell, entitled “1984”, which shows a conglomerate of men attending the speech that “Big Brother” is giving them on the big screen. 8686 JJUULLYY//AAUUGGUUSST 2T 200224 4 AABBAASSTOTO..CCOOMM