A Look Back at Apple Ads and Football on Super Bowl Sunday

By

post-80621-image-1a44110eb7883a7dfe7f6554944c7f4b-jpg

Apple advertising has intersected with the NFL over the years. As we endure the countdown to Super Bowl XLV on a (thankfully snow-free) Sunday morning here in the States, a look back at some Apple ads either related to football or which ran during the Big Game itself.

The very popular I’m-A-Mac campaign gave the glory to the Referee in one spot, that unsung hero and arbiter of the game. The battle then was Leopard vs. Vista, and the ref got the call right!

• • •

Back in 2007 Apple ran this teaser ad during the Super Bowl for the new iPhone, coming in June. Hello, Apple said, we’re coming and we mean to change everything. Again.
– Correction: this spot ran during the Oscars in 2007, not the Super Bowl; CoM regrets the error.

• • •

The I’m-A-Mac campaign also saluted football Coaches and Trainers, those gruff but lovable icons of the sidelines. Behind every successful team is a man who consistently wears a sweatshirt.

• • •

And of course: on January 24, 1984, Apple introduced Macintosh. And we saw that 1984 wouldn’t be like 1984. This Ridley Scott directed commercial is now an all-time classic, and Apple itself is getting accused of being Big Brother. How the tables have turned!

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.