Ad man known for Apple '1984' Macintosh commercial dies at 79

The ad man known for putting Apple Computer on the map with a landmark commercial has died at 79.

Chiat/Day advertising executive Guy Day, known for Apple's Orwellian 1984 Macintosh commercial, is also credited with turning the NFL Super Bowl championship football game into the premier showcase for television advertisements.

Now called TBWA\Chiat\Day, Day's former ad firm -- he sold it in 1978 -- was known for its success despite its location in Los Angeles, outside traditional ad centers such as New York and Chicago.

The now-legendary firm was responsible for such campaigns as the introduction of Honda's first car in the United States, the iconic Absolut vodka ads and Apple's latest "Get a Mac" ad campaigns (it renewed its partnership with the company in 1997).

Here are a few nice words taken from a post by the firm's chief marketing officer on Jay/Day, an alumni blog:

When you ask Lee about Guy, he says, "Guy made me sane while Jay made me crazy. He taught me a lot of things, like how to understand Jay. I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Guy."

[...]

Guy was an intelligent man, a thoughtful man, a strongly opinionated and yet, a fair and gentle man. Most importantly, Guy was a generous man – one confident enough to persuade, shape and influence from the edge of the spotlight, rather than from its center.

Here's the Apple '1984' ad:

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com