Apple - Lemmings (1985) - 0:60 (USA)

This is one of the most hated ads of the super bowl, though I really like it.

Director Tony Scott didn't like the sky over England, so he flew to Sweden just to shoot the clouds that you see in the background. Fancy that, Swedish clouds are better.

John Sculley hated this ad, and initially told Chiat/Day not to run it ordering them to sell back the $1 million dollar airtime. But the creative team lobbied him to reverse the decision - pointing out that Apple also disliked "1984" and that turned out to be a triumph. Chiat/Day repurchased this one minute of airtime for $900,000 and the ad ran in the fourth quarter.

A full-page newspaper ad accompanied this, it simply read: "If you go to the bathroom during the fourth quarter, you'll be sorry."

Steve Jobs and John Sculley watched this ad bomb, live, at Stanford Stadium. Apple had filled the stadium with soft logo-emblazed cushions to sit on and ran the "1984" ad on the big screen to the 90,000 people strong audience who cheered when they saw it. But at halftime, when "Lemmings" came on, the response was a stunned silence. 43 million people saw it on TV, and they didn't like it either. To make matters worse, the product was bad. The Macintosh Office didn't fulfill its promise, but it did introduce AppleTalk networking.

Mike Murray wanted to run a public apology in the Wall Street Journal. Jay Chiat said that if Murray did that, Chiat/Day would buy the opposite page and apologize for the apology.

"If you go to the bathroom during the fourth quarter, you'll be sorry."
"If you go to the bathroom during the fourth quarter, you'll be sorry."

Client: Apple Computers
Ad agency: Chiat/Day
Copywriter: Steve Hayden
Marketing Manager: Mike Murray

Director: Tony Scott

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Dabitch's picture

I'm confused as why this is often refereed to as one of the worst superbowl ads of all time.... I think it's not bad at all [compare it to the other shite of this year] this idea still holds up - whilst the others often lack an idea and replace it with a celeb instead. (check alan alda hawkin atari it's hilarious)

perhaps PC users at the time took offense at being portrayed as lemmings? ;-)

AnonymousCoward's picture

I find this hilarious b/c Disney perpetuates the myth that lemmings commit suicide - in a Disney nature documentary they took 3 years and 9 photographers and shipped lemmings in from Alaska to Canada to stage lemming suicide on a turntable. This is funny because there's the Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off To Work We Go music in the backround. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Mets82's picture

This commercial is very unnerving. I thought it was very disturbing and the exact opposite of the year before. I don't think we had to see the people falling off the cliff. The song that's being played just makes it weird and when the ad is over, your just shaking your head.

Imanaddy's picture

You should get some extra work as a participant in focus groups.

tod.brody's picture

That's an excellent idea. Mets82 should contact NRG immediately. I'm sure they have a place for him.

Mets82's picture

I guess you could make the argument that anything that Apple would have done wouldn't have come close to the success of the 1984 spot. The bar was set that high.

jrliberto's picture

Interesting that this ad was done by the same company as "1984", but was not nearly as successful.

AnonymousCoward's picture

Video is broken. :(

AnonymousCoward's picture

Video is broken. :( I liked this one!