1984: Apple Computer, "1984" TV spot
For an upstart computer company, Orwell's 1984 was the ideal metaphor. Lifeless prisoners attend a brainwashing session, Big Brother barking dogma on a huge gray screen. A young woman, chased by four thought cops, sprints in carrying a sledge hammer. She stops, spins like a discus thrower, and releases the hammer -- shattering the screen, and IBM's dominance.
"Just do it"
Most ad mavens call it the greatest tag line of all time. When Dan Wieden wrote the phrase to unify Nike's multi-media ad campaign, he couldn't have known he was also scribing a self-help anthem. Yes, Wieden and Kennedy ad agency sold scads of Nike sneakers; and made Air Jordan the icon of the 90's. But "Just do it" did more. With line as a mantra, people also launched businesses, lost weight, and conquered personal problems. That's some ad!
1993: "Got Milk?"
You know a tag line is brilliant when it gets plagiarized. But what made the milk campaign work was not just the tag line, but the executions and strategy behind it. When a pair of adorable girl scouts appears at your door bearing cookies, as they do in the billboard version, there's only one thing to ask: "Got Milk?" It treated the beverage as the ideal purchase companion for everything from brownies to peanut butter. Ka-ching!
1996: Larry Page & Sergey Brin launch Google
The world's dominant search engine changed everything in the advertising industry. No longer were customers passive consumers of media. Now the Internet permitted them to search for what interested them, when it interested them. In short order, Google recognized its power and began selling access to its visitors in a number of ways, including versions of keyword ads and banner ads.
2004: Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his dorm
Beginning as a social toy for Harvard students, it's now one of the most effective ad media. Who better to suggest products than people who share your interests? (Hint. FB calls them fans.) And along with your fans and friends, no one knows what you like better than the folks at Facebook. Every FB click carries a bit of code merchants can use to generate sales.
2005: Three friends launch a video sharing site, You Tube
You Tube: Upload silly videos to your heart's content. But after Google bought it in 2006, it's behaving more like a brilliant marketing vehicle, combining the precision of search with the charm of video. As the You Tube promo video says, "target any kind of person, and we have sophisticated tools to help you find them." Which explains why so many big brands have a video or a channel of them. You Tube draws more eyeballs daily than the Super Bowl on its best day.