10 Commercials That Changed Pop Culture Forever

10. Apple Computer - "1984"

Directed by a big Hollywood director, only aired once, rife with symbolism, selling one of the most ground-breaking products of the past thirty years... this commercial, one of the most recognizable of all time, more than earns its place on a list like this. In 1983, Steve Jobs and John Sculley were looking for a striking way to introduce their new computer, the "Macintosh." Sculley, famous for his marketing savvy due to his highly successful stint running marketing campaigns for PepsiCo, was charged with the task of putting together the perfect commercial for this new product. Sculley, through the ad agency Chiat/Day, hired Ridley Scott to direct the commercial, providing him with a then unheard-of (for commercials) budget of nine hundred thousand dollars. The result was a memorable piece of advertising, consistently landing at the top spot on lists of the best commercials of all time. The commercial opens on a group of gray-faced and gray-dressed people, marching into a huge movie theater. "Big Brother" addresses the gathering masses, talking about the benefits of forced conformity. He doesn't get to talk long, however, before a track star with a cubist-style drawing of a Macintosh computer on her tank top enters the theater, being chased by four police officers. The track star carries a hammer, which she swings around and hurls into the middle of "Big Brother"'s face, causing the screen to explode. An ominous voice-over then tells us about how the upcoming "Macintosh" will save our society from an Orwellian fate. This commercial is memorable for its production value and its strong way of getting across its message. What better reason is there to buy a product than to stop the rise of totalitarianism?