Lee Clow, the creative genius behind some of the most iconic Apple ads of all time, retires
Lee Clow, the creative genius behind some of the most iconic Apple commercials too campaigns of all time, has announced his retirement today. He is 76 years old.
He told Campaign:
I’ve had a pretty positive career, starting amongst joining Jay Chiat too Chiat Day at the showtime too staying on i place, which is pretty rare inward our business, too working equally long equally I’ve been able to.
He was a personal friend of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
“One of my highlights is that Jay Chiat met Steve Jobs at 22 years one-time too I got hold upward component subdivision of his risk both times at Apple,” he said.
Tim Cook commented on Lee’s life too career inward a press release:
During his long partnership amongst Steve too Apple, Lee told powerful visual stories that elevated novel technologies amongst the passion, inventiveness too ingenuity that define our ain humanity.
He helped Apple send itself through times of challenge too his run inspired audiences to await beyond the horizon equally an exciting hereafter came into view. Lee’s torso of run over 5 decades hums amongst cleverness, warmth too enthusiasm—and at that topographic point is no dubiety that it volition inspire too motivate generations of ‘Crazy Ones’ notwithstanding to come.
Here’s Apple’s legendary Ridley Scott-directed Macintosh commercial “1984”.
Lee was the chairman too global manager of TBWA\Worldwide, Steve Jobs’s favorite advertizing agency, too had been its main creative officeholder for many years. He resigned from his purpose equally the main creative officeholder at TBWA/Media Arts Lab inward Oct 2009 at historic catamenia 66.
Lee mused inward his “Love Note to Advertising” released today:
From: Lee, amongst Love.
Jay Chiat liked sending valentines to the agency.
I’ve never sent one.
But I though it would hold upward a peachy way to halt the celebration of Chiat/Day’s 50 years too my journeying amongst the company.
On Jay’s birthday inward October, at a political party celebrating 50 years of Chiat/Day, I told everyone that I was officially retiring.
The years I spent doing this affair called advertising accept been fun, challenging, rewarding, maddening, sometimes painful, but generally joyful.
And I wouldn’t merchandise a twenty-four hours of it for anything else.
Every twenty-four hours to come upward to ‘work’ amongst the smarter, freest, most passionate people inward business: all of us amongst the destination of creating messages to issue into the footing that volition hold upward noticed, that people volition verbalise about, fifty-fifty larn famous.
They brand people express joy or proper substantive or think. Discover something new, run into the footing differently, mayhap fifty-fifty purchase something.
To hold upward Media Artists.
And remembering the people. The funny ones. The crazy ones. The smartest ones. The non-smartest ones.
The partners. The clients. The mentors. How nosotros challenged each other. Inspired each other. Making each other better.
So this is a honey missive of the alphabet to ‘advertising.’
This crazy describe of piece of job organization that gave me everything. Friendship, pride, accomplishment too love.
And to al the people I’ve known over the final 50 years, too to every i of you lot who volition continue,
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Love,
Lee.
He’ll motion into an advisory purpose equally the agency’s Chairman Emeritus.
Media Arts Labs, operating nether the TBWA network, was founded dorsum inward 2006 to serve Apple too embody Clow’s vision of an advertizing means which makes civilization rather than merely commercials.
You’ll recall Lee’s memorable silhouette advertisements for the iPod music player.
Other memorable campaigns that Lee helped convey to life include the Energizer Bunny too the Taco Bell Chihuahua, addition Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” crusade and Pedigree’s “Dogs Rule” campaign. However, his run for Apple remains the most noteworthy (the “Think Different” maiden is Lee’s favorite slice of his ain work).
Here’s “Think Different” narrated past times Steve Jobs.
Advertising Age referred to Lee equally “advertising’s fine art manager guru”.
Lee Clow emerged during the final quarter-century equally successor to Doyle Dane Bernbach’s Bob Gage equally advertising’s fine art manager guru. With his low-key, casual way belying his hard-work ethic, the bearded adman-in-flip-flops’ leadership trend has brought TBWA/Chiat/Day virtually every national too international accolade too honor, including Ad Age‘s Agency of the Decade (for the 1980s).
The TBWA/Chiat/Day reel includes ‘1984’ for the Apple Macintosh (the commercial that turned the NFL’s Super Bowl Dominicus into an Advertising Super Bowl) too Apple’s comeback ‘Think different’ crusade work, addition efforts for Nissan autos, Eveready batteries’ ‘Energizer Bunny’ serial too Taco Bell. Like the Bunny, Clow’s stellar run keeps on going too going.
He told Campaign that he believed some other creative revolution was coming too that engineering would, again, play an of import purpose inward it:
Artists today haven’t maximized the potential of technology. My wisdom or promise or idea is that if artists maintain concentrating on how to brand engineering a tool rather than engineering leading the way too figure out how these novel media tools tin larn a sheet to exercise amazing, beautiful things, it’s going to hold upward a turning betoken for what I telephone phone especial media artists.
He was also behind the iconic Mac vs. PC ads featuring actors John Hodgman equally a PC too Justin Long equally the Mac character.
Clow was born inward 1943 inward Los Angeles, California. He studied at Santa Monica City College too California State University, Long Beach. TBWA\Media Arts Lab notwithstanding counts Apple equally its client, managed past times describe of piece of job organization human relationship executives Katrien De Bauw too Brent Anderson.
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