You may have heard that the biggest football game of the year takes place this Sunday, it’s “American football” for those in the UK. But it’s not just the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs: an event in the United States as much for the ads as for the game.
As tech publications like this like to point out, Apple made what is perhaps the most memorable commercial in Super Bowl history in 1984. This often leads people to think that Apple and the Super Bowl go from even, but actually Apple’s history with gaming is quite short. But still, every year we hope Apple uses the bigger stage to showcase or tease a new product. And every year we are disappointed.
But Super Bowl LVII might be different. After 10 years led by Pepsi, Apple Music is sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which features Rihanna’s first major live appearance since 2016. Suffice it to say, it will be watched by some 100 million people , one of the biggest audiences Apple has ever had. This is the first time Apple has sponsored the show, so we don’t really know what to expect. Will Rihanna wear AirPods? Will MacBooks grace the scene? And above all, will Apple broadcast an advertisement during the big game?
Before we get to Sunday, here’s a history of Apple’s Super Bowl ads.
1984 (1984)
Apples 1984 is often called the greatest commercial in Super Bowl history. Directed by Ridley Scott of “Alien” and “Blade Runner” fame, the 60-second commercial aired only once, as the first Super Bowl XVIII halftime commercial. Its theme was based on George Orwell’s novel, 1984, and the ad’s dark, dystopian imagery struck a chord in an era of populist conservatism and the Cold War. It was designed to generate hype for the announcement of the Macintosh on January 24, 1984, and it certainly served its purpose.
Scott’s leadership left a lasting impression on popular culture, so much so that “Apple” and “Super Bowl” are synonymous, even though this ad didn’t feature a single Apple product.
Lemmings (1985)
In 1985, Apple, well aware of the efficiency 1984 aired a second commercial during Super Bowl XIX. Title Lemmingsthe commercial was directed by Tony Scott, brother of Ridley, and features a similar tone to promote a new software suite called Macintosh Office, designed to connect a Macintosh to a printer and file server.
The ad tried to capture the tone of 1984 and it definitely left an impression on viewers, but not one that Apple intended. With a massive hype campaign that included seat cushions during the big game and full-page newspaper ads warning viewers to skip their bathroom break in the fourth quarter—Lemmings did not please viewers. People watching found the ad depressing and insulting, and nowhere near as appealing as 1984.
HAL (1999)
After the Lemmings debacle, 15 years passed before Apple decided to launch a new advertisement during the Super Bowl. The ad featured HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and with Stanley Kubrick’s blessing, was part of a theme with the AI antagonist that included keynotes from igamesnews San Francisco and WWDC. The announcement came at a time when there were growing fears that computers would stop working in the new year due to the Y2K bug, as PCs couldn’t understand the year 2000, and chaos would ensue.
Apple used the announcement to promote the Mac’s immunity to the Y2K bug due to its ability to understand years up to 29,940. Even though the Y2K bug turned out to be much ado about nothing , Apple’s third and final Super Bowl commercial has become a cult hit among fans.
I Fought the Law (2004)
While not technically an Apple ad, Pepsi’s 2004 ad announcing its partnership with iTunes certainly looked like one. Featuring a Green Day cover of Sonny Curtis’ “I Fought the Law,” the ad featured 16 teenagers who were sued by the RIAA for illegally downloading music from the Internet during Napster’s popularity. Ironically, this is the only Super Bowl ad here to feature an Apple product, not an iPod but an iMac G4. The ad and promotional campaign was a success and helped propel the iTunes Music Store, which was barely a year old at the time, to new heights.
Rihanna (2023)
It’s been 24 years since the HAL commercial, and Apple is returning to the Super Bowl, but this time it’s as the title sponsor of the Super Bowl show in a show, the halftime presentation. Apple calls it the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show with Rihanna, who hasn’t performed in public since 2018.
Apple highlighted its Super Bowl LVII presence all month in Apple Music’s Rihanna’s Road to Halftime section, which included:
- Halftime Hype Radio: 10-episode series that looks back on past halftime shows.
- Rihanna Revisited Radio: Eight-episode series that mirrors Rihanna’s musical catalog.
- Live from Super Bowl LVII: Daily live broadcasts that “capture the excitement” of the game and halftime show.
- Playlists of NFL teams and players.
- An interview with Rihanna on Apple Music Radio.
There’s also a rumor that Apple is making a behind-the-scenes documentary that will air on Apple Music in the coming weeks. And the performance will likely be available for streaming after the show.
But will there also be a new Apple ad during the big game? So far, there are no rumors that Apple is running an advertisement, but Apple would probably want to keep such a thing a secret. Additionally, it is common for the halftime show sponsor to run an advertisement during the Super Bowl – Pepsi, Bridgestone, Sprint, AOL and others all had separate advertisements in addition to the sponsorship. And Apple ran constant ads for Cancel Messages and Apple TV+ during the 2023 playoffs, so a Super Bowl berth is definitely possible.
And the timing is right: Ridley Scott’s next film Napoleon will premiere on Apple TV+ later this year. So maybe Apple asked him to direct a follow to 1984? We will find out on Sunday.
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