You could say that insulting Microsoft and raiding its customer base is a calculated risk for Jobs and his often-offbeat ad agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles. When the Apple founder returned in 1997, he hastily made peace with former enemy and Microsoft founder Bill Gates to prop up his tottering company, including an investment and applications software.
Five years later, Jobs and TBWA/Chiat/Day are feeling their oats enough to take a swing at Microsoft, much like they skewered IBM in their "1984" Super Bowl commercial. That groundbreaking spot directed by Ridley Scott, whose later directed Oscar-winning films, also established the big game as the Super Bowl of advertising.
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