Dr. Anne Balsamo, director of the Media Archeology Lab in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas, joined former Apple advertising executive Henry Whitfield to discuss the computer company’s early marketing strategies, which transformed both the company and advertising.
The hourlong discussion, called “Marketing a Revolution: The Story Behind Apple’s Iconic Super Bowl Commercial,” was part of the Vintage Computer Festival Southwest that took place in June 2024.
For its second year, the Vintage Computer Festival returned to the University of Texas at Dallas. Exhibits and events were held in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, and the School of Management building.
The festival featured displays of vintage computers and devices from exhibitors nationwide. Panels of industry experts discussed the innovation and engineering of early computing machines made by companies such as Tandy and Texas Instruments.
Dr. Balsamo invited Mr. Whitfield, who served as Apple’s advertising manager from 1981 through 1984, to discuss the creation of “1984,” the iconic Super Bowl commercial that introduced the world to the launch of the revolutionary Apple Macintosh computer.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the seminal ad that transformed advertising in the 1980s and the machine that not only influenced the technologies that came later, but also launched a lifestyle centered on a computing product line.
Whitfield described Apple’s business approach in the early 1980s, which focused on forging an emotional connection with potential customers. He noted that Apple differentiated itself from its competitors as the company that would provide a different kind of computer, not focused on business but on lifestyle. While IBM and other competitors marketed their products by highlighting the technical features of their machines, Apple’s marketing showcased the stories of real people using its computers to achieve personal goals.
The early tactics evolved into Apple’s marketing philosophy, which emphasized personal connections with people, clarity of purpose, and the value of design. When competitors were shipping products in brown boxes, Apple took a different approach. Apple applied its marketing philosophy across the business, in everything from the brand to product packaging.
Reflecting on the “1984” Superbowl commercial, Whitfield explained that it was designed to establish Apple as the personal computer for the people, in contrast to its competitors’ corporate, dull machines. The commercial’s creation was considered bold in its dystopian approach, foregrounding a story about a new age of freedom symbolized by the Macintosh, and risky in the way it highlighted a narrative rather than a machine.
Since then, the advertisement has become one of the most acclaimed commercials ever made, credited with sparking the Super Bowl tradition of showcasing witty, high-budget advertisements from Fortune 500 companies.
Dr. Balsamo curated a companion exhibit titled “Think Different. Marketing a TechnoCultural Revolution.” Now on display in the ATC building, the exhibit features a sculpture of a vintage 1984 television showing iconic Apple commercials. A selection of noteworthy print advertisements from the 1980s through the 2000s explores how Apple’s marketing techniques launched a computer-based lifestyle.
About The Media Archeology Lab
The Media Archeology Lab (MAL), led by Dr. Balsamo, is a cultural research space in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at UT Dallas. Here, faculty, staff, and students collaborate on projects to restore and reinvigorate vintage media.
Located in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, the lab houses an archive of vintage media devices and content. Significant collections include working Apple vintage computers, mini and portable televisions, laser disk film collection, vintage Brownie cameras, educational software, movie projectors, and print materials.
The lab attracts students from different schools within UT Dallas. Their interests are expansive, including animation, games, computer science, software engineering, history of film, photography, audio and sound, storytelling, and design.
