Steve Hayden, who wrote arguably the most famous ad of all time, Ridley Scott’s ‘1984’ for the then nascent Apple Computer, has died at 78.
His friend George Parker writes in Adscam:
My good friend and long time workmate at Chiat and Ogilvy, Steve Hayden died today at the age of 78. As Ad Age reminds us… Hayden, a 36-year-old writer at Chiat/Day, conceived “1984” with art director Lee Clow. Directed by Ridley Scott, the Orwellian allegory introduced Apple’s Macintosh computer as a liberating force against conformity. The most famous ad ever made, “1984” aired just once nationally but became a cultural milestone, heralding both the age of the personal computer and a new era in brand storytelling. I can think of no one in the current pathetic state of the ad biz who comes close to matching the talent, intelligence and the warmth of Steve.
