1984 Commercial Essay

1126 Words3 Pages

On January 22, 1984, Apple Computers released its “1984” commercial during Super Bowl XVIII. In the commercial, a dystopian society, similar to that of George Orwell’s 1984, appears in which men are aimlessly following orders. However, a woman rushes in to disrupt and challenge this conformity that appears in the commercial. The commercial ends with the introduction of the Apple’s Macintosh. In a world dominated by IBM computers, this Apple commercial serves the purpose of introducing a new innovative product, the personal computer. Ultimately, its goal is to persuade viewers to buy the Macintosh. This advertisement targets the general population with a special emphasis of readers of 1984. The commercial is able to effectively employ symbolism, …show more content…

In the advertisement, the men are mindlessly walking around and listening to orders. Viewers see a dystopian society, which is representative of IBM computers. They see the negative effects of the dystopian society (IBM computers) and how people are mindlessly walking around and listening to “Big Brother.” When the viewers of the commercial see this, they get a sense of hopelessness and identity loss. They do not want to simply follow orders every day. It is part of human nature to stand out and be unique. People do not want to know that they are being controlled by others. People like independence and following their own terms. The commercial offers an alternative to this misery and an opportunity to be unique. The woman who runs in to stop this dystopian society is representative of Apple’s Macintosh. Because the viewers do not like to be in despair or be subservient, they are in favor of this Apple Macintosh. This computer cures the despair of IBM computers. Because the viewers see this, they want to go out and buy an Apple Macintosh. They do not want to be stuck in the totalitarian regime of IBM. By appealing to the audience’s emotions to not be stuck in a dystopian society, Apple is able to effectively convince viewers to buy the new Macintosh

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