Any thoughts on when “Superbowl Commercials” started? I recall some big ads from the mid-80s. It seems the Pepsi ad with Mike Jackson and the boys (you’ll recall the flaming hair incident?) may be the earliest I recall.
Is there any common acceptence of what set of the Superbowl ad wars? Was there one big-budget commercial that set it all off? (Perhaps it was that Pepsi commercial). I can’t imagine the big-budget commercials pre-dated it by much, but perhaps someone has better recollection than me. Any thoughts on the politics behind it?
Thanks s’much
The introduction of the Macintosh was made with a one-time-only showing of the ‘1984’ commercial at the (surprise) 1984 Super Bowl.
That’s earlier than the Flaming Jacksons, no?
Right. The “1984” ad was not only the first really high budget Super Bowl commercials, but is generally considered one of the most innovative and influential ads ever produced.
I still prefer PCs, though.
Actually, Apple’s ad agency pulled a fast one, and aired the commercial one time at an odd hour in a small town in the far northren midwest, late in December of 1983, in order to qualify the ad for nomination to the Cleo awards that were given in 1984.