Apple's 1984 ad is the most talked-of in the tech industry, but it was actually aired only twice, and was about a single product. If you actually want to look at an ad in terms of sheer impact on a brand over a period of time, it has got to be the an ad series for Apple. Unlike 1984, this one was aired for almost five years from 1997-2002. Unlike 1984, this headed rather than an arrival. And its gave the tech world its most iconic slogan
THINK DIFFERENT.
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The year was 1997 and Apple was on the verge of shutting down. In literally a last throw of the dice, CEO Gil Amelio got the man Apple had fired more than a decade ago, back to the company to try and save it: Steve Jobs. The brand planned a new ad campaign to reiterate its commitment to innovation. It was designed but its agency, BBDO, and shown at an internal meeting. It was called "We're back." Everyone liked it.
Except one man. Steve Jobs.
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In his typically blunt manner, Jobs said that the slogan was "stupid" as he felt that "Apple wasn't back!" He got Chiat\Day, the agency that produced the epic 1984 ad back on the account, and is believed to have worked with them to come out with an ad that reflected the philosophy of Apple. It was not going to be about products, or comebacks but just about a way of thinking, an attitude if you will. The result was one of the most surprising ads ever made
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The ad was in black and white. Apple and its products were not shown or mentioned at all! It featured great people from different fields who succeeded and changed the world because they thought in a different manner. These were referred to as "The Crazy Ones." A narrator spoke about the importance of thinking differently (zero tech!). It ended with two words: Think Different. (Some wanted "Think differently," but Jobs went with "Think Different")
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It remains an amazing ad, simply because of its totally non-commercial nature. Jobs is said to have believed that Apple's fans did not need to know that the brand could make products - it was making those anyway - but that it still had the mindset that had made it a cult. The association with legendary figures who were made to sound cool with the "crazy ones" term further helped the brand. Apple was back, was still crazy and was going to change the world!
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Of course, it would be naive to give the ad all the credit for Apple's amazing comeback, but it would be equally naive to say it played no role at all. Apple's fans and followers had lost belief in the brand, and the ad's message reassured them that Apple still had its original DNA in place after a series of setbacks. Products like the iMac drove smoothly on the road paved by the ad. It did help that the slogan of Apple's biggest rival, IBM was: Think!
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youtu.be
Job's rendition of the ad was released after his demise. Some think it sounds better than the Dreyfuss version. We are among them. You can see the ad in his voice, and remember the crazy ones here:
https://youtu.be/cpzvwkR1RYU?s…