Today news came that Lee Clow, the Chief Creative Officer at Apple’s ad agency TBWA, BFF of Steve Jobs, and “advertising’s art-director guru,” has decided to step down from his post. (Before you pigeonhole him, Clow’s also the man responsible for the Energizer Bunny and the Taco Bell Chihuahua.) Duncan Milner — executive creative director on the Apple account — will take his place. After the jump, we look back at Clow’s legacy by rounding up ten of our favorite Apple campaigns.
Update: Actually, he’s not going anywhere. And he’d like us silly bloggers to stop talking about it. Fair enough. The man deserves a tribute regardless.
1. “1984” Considered by many to be the best commercial OF ALL TIME, it was directed by Ridley Scott.
2. “Switch” A real student, Ellen Feiss, explains that the PC ate her homework.
3. “Get a Mac” The first! Justin Long owes Mr. Clow a favor.
4. Apple iPod Touch Grid Genius format: combine unknown musician Brenden Benson with all of the new applications the iPod Touch could handle.
5. Apple Gamma iPod + iTunes from 2008 One of his most famous commercials, it captures the style and energy that the brand is now associated with.
6. “Treetrimming” (Get a Mac) Continues the hilarious Mac vs. PC commercials, but in claymation.
7. “Hal 2000” Superbowl Ad This hilarious ad touts the Mac’s immunity to the Y2K bug.
8. Playing Apple iTunes: Coldplay Sonic Same format as the commercial with Brenden Benson, but with Coldplay. Interactive graphics emanating from the instruments lend it an explosion of color.
9. 3 Steps There’s no step three! Ha.
10. “Think Different” We love how he segues from Martin Luther King Jr. to Richard Branson.