Presentation-Secrets-Of-Steve-Jobs

N E 6
SCENE 6
SCE
Introduce the
Antagonist
Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer
industry? Was George Orwell right?
—STEVE JOBS
In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. The same
storytelling outline applies to world-class presentations.
Steve Jobs establishes the foundation of a persuasive story
by introducing his audience to an antagonist, an enemy, a
problem in need of a solution. In 1984, the enemy was “Big
Blue.”
Apple is behind one of the most influential television ads
in history and one in which we begin to see the hero-villain
scenario playing out in Jobs’s approach to messaging. The television
ad, 1984, introduced Macintosh to the world. It ran only
once, during the January 22 Super Bowl that same year. The
Los Angeles Raiders were crushing the Washington Redskins,
but more people remember the spot than the score.
Ridley Scott, of Alien fame, directed the Apple ad, which
begins with shaven-headed drones listening to their leader (Big
Brother) on a giant screen. An athletic blonde, dressed in skimpy
eighties-style workout clothes, is running with a sledgehammer.
Chased by helmeted storm troopers, the girl throws the hammer
into the screen, which explodes in a blinding light as the
drones sit with their mouths wide open. The spot ends with
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