Act I: From Textbooks to Playgrounds (The Dawn of Personal Computing)
Back in the 80s, computers were intimidating beasts of wires and blinking lights. Remember those chunky beige desktops? Yeah, not exactly user-friendly. So, Apple’s early ads were like mini-textbooks with a friendly twist. Their focus? Education. They knew people needed a reason to embrace this newfangled technology. Headlines like “Why 1984 isn’t like 1984” addressed the fear of technology control, while text-heavy explanations broke down the benefits of a personal computer in the office and at home.
These ads targeted both awareness and education, convincing people they needed a computer, and why an Apple one was the way to go, With ads that functioned like instruction manuals disguised as marketing. They used text-heavy copy to explain the “why” of personal computers – how they could streamline tasks, manage finances, and even entertain. It was all about awareness and education. The iconic “Apple II: A computer for the rest of us” campaign spoke directly to the average person, not just tech enthusiasts.
