Unreleased ads show the classic Mac team talking up their creation

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Unreleased ads show the classic Mac team talking up their creation
That's Susan Kare, the icon designer on the original Mac.
Photo: Apple

Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original members of the Macintosh team, has uploaded an unseen series of 1983 interview snippets intended to be used for Mac ads. The mini interviews feature the likes of Hertzfeld, Mike Murray, Burrell Smith, Bill Atkinson, Susan Kare, and George Crow talking about Apple’s then in-development computer.

The ads were never used — but it’s a great nostalgic look back at the enthusiasm surrounding the original Macintosh 128K.

It’s not quite clear why the interview segments never made it any further. In the end, Apple debuted the Macintosh with the famous Ridley Scott-directed Superbowl commercial. Other Mac ads included the “Test drive a Mac” commercial, intended to encourage users to give the Macintosh a go.

Mac ads and beyond

Interestingly, while this Mac campaign was never used, the idea certainly was. Or, at least, a variation on it. Almost 20 years later, in 2002, Apple launched its “Switch” advertising campaign. This featured off-the-cuff interviews with real people talking about their reasons for switching from PCs to Macs. The ads were a big success — especially the viral one featuring 15-year-old sleepy eyed student Ellen Feiss.

Personally, I love to see the classic Mac team looking so young. It’s also pretty neat seeing Apple highlight the contributions of the people who made the computer. That’s something you don’t normally see with software or hardware. It’s in keeping with Steve Jobs’ decision to have the original Mac team sign their names on the computer itself. However, I think the “Switch” ads — focusing on regular people, not Apple employees — works better. It highlights the ease-of-use of Apple computers in a way that interviews with Apple employees could never do.

Do you think Apple should have run with this 1980s ad campaign? Whose insight is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Loop Insight

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