Chuck’s Pick: “1984”

Okay, so I’m guilty of being trite. My coworkers accuse me of picking the obvious spot for the “Best of The Super Bowl” series.

Guilty.

But with good reason — a personal one. You can debate for hours whether the spot made Apple or made Chiat/Day, or both. But what it did do, was make my career.

If that spot hadn’t ever happened (think It’s a Wonderful Life here), it’s a fair bet that Chiat/Day would not have catapulted from obscurity to fame in one short week. That historic Super Bowl minute drew so much attention to Chiat/Day, that potential clients lined up, including the good folks at Ricoh Office Equipment. Once Chiat/Day, fresh off their newfound success, landed Ricoh, they needed to add even more staff, including a young account guy who was floundering in Hartford, trying to run the account of Konica, a Ricoh competitor.

So, kids, as they say, the rest is history.

After a whirlwind run at Chiat/Day during the glory years, I took my newfound knowledge and came home to start Mascola Associates, Inc., something I could not have done without that experience and confidence.

So, no Apple/1984 Super Bowl ad, no new clients for C/D, no Ricoh account, no job for me, no Mascola Group today.

It’s a stretch, but I believe it.  Apple/1984 is my George Bailey.