Apple's 'Get a Mac' Ads Grab 'Campaign of the Decade' Title

Apple keeps standing out this year. Its latest achievement is AdWeek naming the Get a Mac series of ads the “Campaign of the Decade.” The series of commercials is well known for featuring two distinct characters, one portraying PC (Windows), the other, Mac.

“Apple always diverged from the ‘speeds and feeds’ ads associated with the computer category, but the brand really defined itself with the 2006 launch of TBWA\Media Arts Lab's ‘Get a Mac’ campaign,” Barbara Lippert writes. “That series of 60-plus ads brought some humanity into the equation by turning the machines into live-action cartoons. In so doing, the comic spots offer transparent understanding of the aspirations of its audience and how people identify—and connect emotionally—with technology.”

“The genius is in the casting,” the analysis continues. “The Mac guy, Justin Long, is a younger version of Steve Jobs who is casual and comfortable in his skin. PC, personified by John Hodgman, as a rounder, paler Bill Gates, is a well-meaning geek with all kinds of operating problems. For Apple, the campaign managed the neat trick of making the brand look laid back and cool while it mercilessly skewered its rival.”

It is also worth noting (for fans of Apple’s hugely popular Get a Mac campaign) that the Chairman of advertising agency TBWA, and the creator of Apple’s famous TV ads, Lee Clow, has stepped down from his role with the agency, but continues to work with Apple closely. The 66-year-old chief creative officer had been erroneously reported as relinquishing his role as the head of the company.

Clow’s best known work is the iconic “1984” TV spot that heralded the introduction of the original Macintosh. Directed by Ridley Scott, the 60-second commercial aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVII on Jan. 22, 1984. Considered to be an advertising masterpiece, the ad was made with a budget of $900,000.