Talk about an epic move.
The “1984” parody spot that Fortnite creator Epic Games created has made the advertising world whisper about his craft and its sheer gutsiness. Even no agency has stepped up to claim it. Epic so far could not be reached for confirmation, but one person close to the case says the place in the house was made.
In the unlikely event that you miss it, the ad is a response to an anti-trust lawsuit over access to the App Store and Apple’s 30 percent cut in money made there. On Thursday, Apple launched Fortnite from the platform, and Epic responded with a shot-for-shot spoof of the tech giant’s 1984 breakthrough ad featuring Fortnite avatars instead of actors.
Epic turns the tables of the original place, and Apple portrays as the Big Brother who imposes monopolistic control over an adult population, instead of the insurgency that strikes barriers. It’s a position intended to address the public’s suspicions about Big Tech, which is implicated in issues ranging from data privacy to election interference.
“This piece is really brave. I think it’s totally in line with the feisty nature of the game, and honestly I think their fanbase will love it, because they’re probably hoping and praying, “said Jason Sperling, senior VP and chief creative officer at RPA, who was a creative director on another iconic Apple campaign, “Get a Mac”, on TBWA Chiat Day.
‘You have to love challenger brands that are not fun to be in the crossroads of large corporations, and that are so naive or so impossibly scared that they are willing to go for anything longer than they want to impact to make. Even if it means fighting the ultimate Challenger brand of the ’80s with the weapons they perfected themselves.’
High praise has also come from others in the sector. “Honestly, this is one of the great advertising / marketing / strategy moments of the last 20 years, tweeted Ian Schafer, founder of Deep Focus, now co-founder and CEO of Kindred.
