Dear Apple,
Think Different. Two simple words that, when juxtaposed next to one another create sufficient disruption to cause people to stop and give your attention. It was more than twenty years ago that Steve Jobs and Apple made this motivation directly observable in its communication strategy.
But it seems that this has always been you, you’re the different kid at school, the creative one that sees problems in a novel way that illuminates our world. Cunning creative coupled with a dedicated drive toward great products has caused you to always have a special place in my heart.
Let me open up a little here. I am a marketing strategist—I have committed my being to understanding how to develop and make brands great. One thing I preach in my class—ask any of my students and they can confirm this— is that marketing isn’t about selling bad products or selling people products they don’t want. To me, marketing is a function to help build and support brands that are based on great products. On this point, I’m enamored with what your brand values. Your brand has embraced and taken strides to live its own values around “think different.”
This observation is true in many areas, but it is as clear as a cloudless sky in one area in particular: innovation. Apple gave us the iPod back when portable music was largely constrained to portable CDs— yes, I remember those days. You continued to show your creativity and innovation with both the iPhone and the iPad. The iPhone reshaped the activities we perform on our phones; the iPad fundamentally changed how we teach and how we work. And, just this month, you regaled us with new announcements regarding the temperature sensors on your watch as well as your new iPhone 14 models.
The iPhone reshaped the activities we perform on our phones; the iPad fundamentally changed how we ... [+]
Your values seem as alive today as when I first remember seeing your brand. Indeed, it is surmised succinctly and eloquently in Apple’s core values. As Tim Cook is credited with saying, “We believe that we’re on the face of the Earth to make great products.” With such a clear sense of purpose it’s not a surprise that a lot of other brands look toward you. I also see the amazing attention and care the brand has taken with regard to privacy; I probably could give you another letter devoted just to this topic, but that’s for another time. I also admit my confession of admiration is rather public, but I felt the brand deserved the recognition.
As part of my job, I focus on understanding sound strategies to guide powerful advertising executions. Anyone that knows me also knows that I’m a huge fan of Super Bowl advertising. Thus, while I’m sure it’s a popular opinion around campus, I cannot help but comment on the fact that “1984” remains one of my all-time favorite ads.
Like many, I like it for its daring execution and its connection with the year of its namesake. However, this advertisement is so much more. First, the production values of the ad raised the stakes and created ripples that would affect Super Bowl advertising in the decades to follow. Few ads ever cross such a threshold; few brands can claim such an accomplishment. Second, the ad reveals the brand’s understanding that great products do more than appeal to functional needs; they can be powerful psychological catalysts to motivate us. To me, your 1984 ad is an inspirational tale that empowers the consumer and represents the brand as the hero—it is nothing short of iconic. Last, but certainty not least, the brand understood that 1984 would not stand alone. A lot of people talk to me about the 1984 execution, but they don’t realize that the ad ultimately created a vacuum that needed to be filled with the real story, which happened in other channels. All this said, I’d love to ask you about your “Lemmings” ad sometime over a drink, but I’ll save that for another time—I assure you I’m an interesting conversation partner.
As with any great brand, a brand is more than one person. Nonetheless, I cannot help but reflect on how Apple’s leadership as part of my confession of admiration. First, it was clear that Steve Jobs had a natural proclivity toward great marketing in his blood. He understood the importance of communicating to the consumer.
In his own words:
“Marketing is about values. It’s a complicated and noisy world, and we’re not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us.”
How I would have relished an opportunity to talk with Jobs about his perspectives, and successes, when it comes to positioning a brand in the mind of a consumer. It’s a great disappointment that I did not have the pleasure of meeting him, but his observations reflect some of the foundational elements of brand building. Of course, as I said, a brand isn’t one person, and as I follow the brand, I continue to see what I have admired for so many years persisting. And, if the brand has done its job, which I believe it has, those values will remain a motivational force for the Apple brand and a point of connection for consumers.
Here’s to the crazy ones,
Derek
