Apple's iconic "1984" Super Bowl ad, which famously launched the Macintosh without showing the product, nearly didn't run. The $900,000 production was approved by Steve Jobs but met resistance from CEO John Sculley and Apple's board, who considered it the worst commercial they'd ever seen.

Set against IBM's dominance in 1984, the ad's dystopian vision was a bold gamble. Apple had just launched the expensive, ignored Lisa and needed a splash for the Mac. The campaign's $15 million budget, funded by a $500 price increase per Mac, aimed to sell 30,000 units to break even.

With the Super Bowl slot paid for, Sculley delegated the final call. Marketing executives William V. Campbell and Floyd Kvamme chose to run it over the safer "Manuals" spot. The ad's impact was immediate, selling 50,000 Macs by April and cementing Apple's rebel image against corporate IBM.