At a time when the internet and such technologies were limited, there were few leading companies that shared most of the power in the computer industry circa 1984. Being that the number of competitors was so low, the strain between the largest corporations was very high: they were always looking to outreach one another. When Apple released their Super Bowl ad “1984” it can somewhat be implied who the attack is meant to be against: one of their rivals, most probably IBM. The exigence of the ad, or the “condition that invited a response,” was Apple’s need to release something substantial in order to maintain their competition against their opposition (mainly IBM). The audience, skillfully chosen, was everyone who tuned in to one of the most popular televised programs of the year, the Super Bowl. This included parents, teachers, entire families, business people, students, and anyone who would potentially be interested in a Mac. They are the targeted audience because they are the consumers and are possible customers for the new Apple product. One significant constraint that the ad had when released was the fact that many people watching the Super Bowl may not pay attention to the commercials that break up the game therefore limiting their audience. It is also extremely expensive to run an ad during the Super Bowl, making cost (and time) a big constraint on how long and inclusive their advertisement can be. The subject of the advertisement is the upcoming Mac, and it’s given “heroic” quality. Apple is emphasizing (and of course exaggerating) an argument in “1984” of how negative the future will turn out as shown if society is follows under their competitor (which is speculated to be IBM). In the ad it is indicated that the Mac will save society from the mindless control that will come with the power of this/these other said company(ies). The whole purpose of the ad is to get the audience to buy the new computer by proving its superiority over others the market. This advertisement aims at convincing people that they should believe Apple and if they don’t they will be contributing to other companies that will take over and dictate the scary dystopian future they showed on screen. The audience should believe the facts (logos) because the future of technology at the time was uncertain and the possibility of such occurrences was indefinite. Why even take the chance? And IBM was a popular company, could it have become a monopoly in the future? The emotional appeal of this ad (pathos) is found within the deep, intense music, background, mood, and colors that are used. They are meant to instill a sense of fear in the audience, fear that can be fixed by Apple’s product. I believe ethos, or trust in the brand and their message, is built behind the fact that the company is already credible and well known by consumers. Apple also did well releasing this ad at the time that they did (kairos). It was only the beginning of soon to be fast developing technology and it was put out during a time where not many people knew much about where it would lead in the future and it was easily brought to people’s attention that the possibility of AI by IBM taking over is there. It also just brought questions into people’s minds about which brand was better, which was more loyal, and which would provide them with the best and safest services, and this public service announcement, shown during the Super Bowl when competition and opposing sides was fresh on viewers minds, made a big statement on that.

Emily Weiss

02.16.2016