“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
It’s been over a quarter of a century since Apple’s iconic ‘Think different’ ad campaign, which captured in two simple words Apple’s vision for the company in 1997. The tagline, which continues to resonate to this day, helped launch one of the biggest corporate turnarounds in history.
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as CEO after the company's acquisition of NeXT. The burning question in front of him was:
“Can we turn around Apple? Can we make Apple really great again?”
Steve Jobs knew that the solution wasn't just cutting costs but rather innovating its way out of trouble. And so, the iconic and wildly successful marketing campaign, 'THINK DIFFERENT' was born.
Jobs firmly believed that passionate individuals had the power to change the world for the better. Apple, in partnership with the advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, brought this vision (…returning to the basics) to life while upholding the company's core values.
To disrupt the status quo in this noisy world, Apple focused on three essentials:
Great Products,
Great Marketing, and
Great Distribution.
INNOVATION hinges on asking fundamentally different questions, ones that challenge long-standing assumptions and artificial boundaries we unknowingly impose on ourselves.
The creative team behind this campaign, led by creative director Rob Siltanen and CEO/Chief Creative Officer Lee Clow, along with others like art director Craig Tanimoto and video editor Dan Bootzin, embarked on an inspiring journey.
Craig Tanimoto's simple billboard campaign featuring revolutionary figures like Einstein, Thomas Edison, Gandhi, and iconic moments like the Vietnam War protest with flowers in gun barrels, all under the rainbow-colored Apple logo and the words "Think different," captured the essence.
Among the various campaign concepts, this one stood out to Rob. When he asked Craig about the idea's meaning, Craig explained:
“IBM has a campaign out that says “Think IBM” (it was a campaign for their ThinkPad), and I feel Apple is very different from IBM, so I felt “Think different” was interesting. I then thought it would be cool to attach those words to some of the world’s most different-thinking people.”
While Seal's song "Crazy" (“we’re never going to survive, unless ... we get a little crazy”) initially inspired the campaign, it was ultimately Robin Williams movie "Dead Poets Society" that provided the spark.
“We must constantly look at things in a different way. Just when you think you know something, you must look at it in a different way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try. Dare to strike out and find new ground.”
”Despite what anyone might tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”
“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. Poetry, beauty, love, romance. These are what we stay alive for. The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
The idea behind "Think different" was to celebrate those who dared to see the world differently, to honor the disruptors and visionaries throughout history. It was about creating tools for those who challenged conventions.
The original script presented to Steve Jobs closely resembled the final script that eventually aired:
“To the crazy ones.
Here’s to the misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
Here’s to the ones who see the world differently.
They’re the ones who invent and imagine and create.
They’re the ones who push the human race forward.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who actually do.
Think Different.”
Two narration versions were created, one by Steve Jobs and one by Richard Dreyfuss. Jobs opted for Dreyfuss's version, emphasizing that it was about Apple, not himself.
Think different.
The campaign embodied Ralph Waldo Emerson's idea:
“To be great is to be misunderstood.”
This campaign marked a turning point for Apple. It highlighted three key elements of a successful strategy:
Focus: Apple narrowed its focus on innovation and those who thought differently.
Divergence: Instead of competing in existing markets, Apple created new ones.
Compelling Tagline: "Think different" became synonymous with Apple's brand and mission.
From this point on, Apple embarked on strategic moves that transformed the company from a struggling tech firm into the world's largest and most influential corporation. The ensuing decade saw Apple's strategic moves, from the iPod and iTunes to the App Store, iPhone, and iPad, breaking boundaries and creating new market space:
Think different, listen different —> The iPod
Think different, shop different —> The iTunes
Think different, everything different —> The iPhone
Apple's 'Think different' philosophy redefined market boundaries. Today, Apple is arguably the world's most valuable brand and admired technology company. It wasn't just technology innovation that defined Apple; it was value innovation — providing unprecedented value to customers through technology.
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your job is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.
That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is - everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. It’s to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.
I think that’s very important and however you learn that, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better, cause it’s kind of messed up, in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”