The Real Reason Apple Pulled Out of MacWorld

In 1982 the best selling desktop was the Commodore 64. At the time, Apple was gaining sales close to Commodore’s but unable to gain the upper hand. They decided to revise their marketing strategies in order to overtake the Commodore 64.

In 1984, Apple released its ad for the MacIntosh computer during the Super Bowl. Back then the Super Bowl was not the advertising stage it is now. In fact, most marketing strategies involved advertising during college football, not the Super Bowl.

The ad involved an athletic blonde woman in red shorts chased by storm troopers. She bursts into an auditorium full of drones with shaved heads sitting motionless as an image of Big Brother (no, not the television show) played on an overhead screen. She then hurls a sledgehammer at the image causing it to explode. A voice then announces, “On Jan. 24th, Apple Computer will introduce MacIntosh . And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like Nineteen Eighty Four.”

The commercial was a huge success and created a tremendous amount of buzz in sync with the marketing strategies for the MacIntosh debut. According to Mark Hughes’ book BuzzMarketing, it played on four buzz factors:

• Hot Topic in the Media: 1984 is the title of a novel be George Orwell where he predicted in 1984 we would lose control of our lives and a Big Brother will control every aspect of our lives.
• Controversy: Appealing to the controversy created by the Orwell novel.
• David vs. Goliath: The female that threw the sledgehammer was David. She was also wearing a shirt with the Apple logo, representing the company. The Big Brother was Goliath. Big Brother was blue to represent him as IBM.
• The Unusual: No similar ad existed

Steve Jobs and his people announced the ad would no longer run again due to high costs. This caused a huge frenzy. People called television stations wanting to see the ad. Due to the high demand for the ad, television stations aired it at their cost. Although Apple announced the ad will not be seen again due to high costs (the ad alone cost one million dollars to make), many believe limiting the supply of the ad while creating demand for it was part of Apple's marketing strategies all along.

Steve Jobs is attempting to create a similar scenario by pulling out of MacWorld. His decision is unusual and controversial, two HUGE buzz factors. Apple created more buzz pulling out of MacWorld then it has ever created during its time exhibiting at MacWorld.


The reason Apple did not air the commercial again in 1984 is because they did not have to. Television stations were doing it for them at no cost. This leads us to the reason Apple pulled out of MacWorld. Simply put, they pulled out because they can. MacWorld has become a convention where Apple products will be heavily promoted regardless of Apple’s presence or absence.