Even Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ ads were kinda influenced by a smart car

Will Apple Car be more like Herbie, or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Did you know that Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ ads were kinda influenced by a self-driving smart car? Well, it’s true — though the car was Herbie and the influence was the decision to cast actor Justin Long as the Mac in the incredibly successful spots.

Don’t believe me? You should because it’s all there in Campaign’s insanely interesting two-part report, called ‘An Oral History of ‘Get A Mac’. (Read it here). The report should be on the ‘must-read’ list of any Apple watcher, historian or trivia collector.

You see, what they have done is speak to former members of the creative team, the crew, and the actors to “share the untold stories of how the campaign came to life”.

It’s a truly fascinating read that reveals:

“It was Steve Jobs’ idea to bring in Justin Long. He saw him in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and thought he was a star on the rise,” according to ”Get A Mac” creative director, Jason Sperling.

Jobs wasn’t a fan of the movie. “I think he said something to the effect of, “the movie stunk, but this actor was pretty good,” said Get A Mac executive creative director, Eric Grunbaum.

Justin Long was pretty surprised at this news — he only learned it last week. You can hear his reaction in the Campaign podcast right here.

Don’t miss this read. Meanwhile, here’s a poll:

[CP_POLLS id=”4″]