Apple's 1984 ad only aired on TV once

Ridley Scott's '1984' advertisement for the Macintosh computer aired nationally just once — during Super Bowl XVIII on 22 January 1984. It cost $900,000 to produce and $500,000 to air. Apple's board reportedly hated it and tried to cancel the buy at the last minute. The ad generated so much press coverage that it effectively aired thousands more times for free. Advertising Age ranked it the greatest commercial of all time in 1995. The Macintosh sold 72,000 units in the first 100 days — partly driven by demand the ad created through earned media before 'earned media' was a concept.

Source: Iezzi, The Idea Writers (2010)