Great advertising captures your imagination. Advertising with gripping narratives move you closer towards a deeper understanding of the role you play in this world. The best advertising doesn’t augment the world around you but rather transports you to a world where you are better than you were yesterday.

One of the best ads of all time, and the best Super Bowl Ad ever, is the Ad for Apple Computer, Inc. called “1984″. The Ad was produced by Chiat/Day to promote Apple Computer’s upcoming product called the Macintosh. Everything about the ad was revolutionary; there were no pictures of the product and no mentions of what the product was other than the name. It aired during the Cold War era and capitalized on people’s mounting concerns about dictatorships. It is visually striking, morally captivating, and thought provoking. By pairing people’s deep seated fear with a tool to combat that fear, the ad represents everything that Apple Computer wanted the Macintosh to be.

Contrast that with the teaser ad by Motorola that takes a critical eye to the “1984″ commercial. The intent of the commercial is to claim that Apple is the new dictator and that Motorola is the new liberator. The merits of that claim are a subject for another post. Where Motorola failed was not necessarily in the presupposition of the ad but more in the presentation; there is nothing compelling about the visuals, too many details are provided, no storytelling, and no call to action for the viewer. There is nothing about “Goodbye 1984″ that even represents the artistry that “1984″ was.

If 2011 ends up saying Goodbye to Nineteen Eighty-Four, then hopefully we won’t be left living on an Animal Farm of mediocre advertising. And hopefully Super Bowl XLV isn’t that pasture.

Note: Both ads can be seen on the article Motorola Picks a Fight with Apple In New Xoom Ad.

What ads will prevail during Super Bowl XLV?