The story of the ‘Think Different’ ad campaign

The story of the ‘Think Different’ ad campaign

Once there was a man named Steve Jobs who believed he could change the way people viewed and used technology by thinking differently and creating products that centered around the user experience and were designed to look beautiful.

Everyday Steve Jobs challenged himself and his employees to push the boundaries on what technology can do and how people can use it by thinking differently from the other technology companies and therefore, created some of the most popular software and hardware technologies in the world. Steve Jobs then continued to build Apple into one of the greatest and most valuable companies in the world.

Until one day the Apple board of directors believed that Steve Jobs unconventional vision was destroying the profitability of the company. Steve Jobs was so focused on the user experience that the board of directors thought he wasn’t valuing the investors interests and visions for the company.

Because of that, the board of directors removed Steve Jobs as CEO and replaced him with John Sculley who was a more conventional CEO. Apple continued to released products but they failed to connect with consumers who preferred Microsoft products and other innovative products. For the first time, Apple wasn’t innovating.

Because of that, Apple struggled to compete against new technology companies and the reputation of the company plummeted. The stock price of Apple fell, and many investors wondered if Apple would be bought by another technology company.

Until then, the board of directors brought Steve Jobs back as CEO and was tasked to rebuild the company culture and reputation. Steve was also tasked with creating a new advertising campaign that would change the trajectory of the company. Steve Jobs found the right combination of talent and ultimately signed off on the ‘think different’ campaign. The campaign advertised the reason why Steve Jobs started the company in the first place. Apple always challenged the status quo, just like other influential people like Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Muhammad Ali, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The campaign ran as a TV and print ad and became an incredible success.

Ever since then, Steve Jobs rebuilt Apple into a technology powerhouse and also established Apple as brilliant marketing company. Today the ‘think different’ campaign is considered one of the greatest ad campaigns of all time. The slogan is still printed on the Apple packaging today.

"The Thing with Feathers"

This article was drastically different from the other article, from the time in which is was written to what it was covering.  This article used less poetic language than the other and seemed more blunt while maintaining a sense of hope for the ivory billed woodpecker.  This article covers mostly the alleged sighting of the ivory billed woodpecker in 2005.  What was most interesting to me about this article was when the bird was allegedly sighted was how much attention the story immediately attracted.  Yet what mostly seemed to motivate the news story and the hope that there was still ivory billed woodpeckers left was the same motivation that destroyed the birds in the first place, money.  When the woods were sold to the logging company and they refused to give up the land because they wanted the money and in this article the hope to revive the community that the ivory billed woodpecker was spotted in was also motivated by money.  Maybe we as humans haven't evolved or educated ourselves as much as we think.

The Thing With Feathers

I enjoyed how in this article the author was able to vividly describe what would normally be considered a dreary and boring place. Having been through this part of Arkansas I can relate with how there is little to see, yet the author was able to describe it in a way that made it seem interesting. In addition, I find it fascinating how one bird was able to create an entire tourism market for a small town. I found it interesting how the author chose to describe the farm fields and explain how cyprus swamps used to be there. This in a way shows how human intervention led to the destruction of the birds habitat.  Personally, if I were to have spotted the bird, I would report it with only a description. By describing the animal as a large woodpecker with a red crest, large white beak and white stripped wings, I would be able to imply what I saw without opening myself up for accusations. In addition, I would personally be afraid of causing a frenzy that would result in large numbers of people invading the swamp and warding off more birds. Despite this, I feel that sparling did the right thing and as a result was able to spark further conservation efforts.

"The Thing with Feathers"

In “The Thing with Feathers”, Wells Tower explains the journey that his research took him through in finding the ivory billed woodpecker. To start off by answering Rachael’s question I think I would have kept the news to myself because I liked what Sparling mentions in the last part of the article. He says, “Seeing it’s not nearly as important as restoring the habitat. If we give him a place to live, he can take care of himself. It doesn’t matter whether we know where he is or not.” I agree with that, and I know that it is some people’s life mission to find this bird but then once they find it and take a picture and gather their money will they care about it anymore? And if the ivory bill were to come back the few left would be bothered and followed and tracked and so it makes me feel bad for the bird. The hype about this bird is contagious as Rachael said because after reading this I felt the same way as she did. I have never particularly been interested in birds but after reading about the towns that are hoping the new discovery makes them famous it makes me want to search these birds too. It’s ironic how humans are the ones who have killed these birds off and now they are also the ones to search high and low for them. Here these birds were being used for decoration and good luck charms and now the rediscovery of their existence becomes a whole town’s mission. It becomes so big that hobo’s are driving all over the country to become “nomadic” bird hunters. It’s crazy how one species can make such an impact.  

"The Thing With Feathers"

First off, to answer Rachael’s question, if I were to see a bird that I thought was extinct or even endangered, I probably wouldn't report it. But I wouldn't refrain from reporting to avoid doubt, I wouldn't report because I would doubt myself. I would probably take pictures and look into it on my own, but unless I knew for sure that that’s what it was then I wouldn't say anything. But also, I think about what we talked about in class on Monday, that Eckleberry may have seen a mating pair and didn't tell anyone (may not be true, but it’s a thought). I think that if I saw a pair like that and knew that they might be the last pair in existence, I would want to keep it to myself. I wouldn't want to be the reason that they were exposed to humans. In response specifically to the article that we read for today, I loved the way that it began. It was intriguing because when you think of a species going extinct, you never think of their “thoughts” so to speak, when they are struggling to find somewhere to live; which is of course, all of the human destruction. I also liked the way that there were direct quotes throughout the article. It brought the researchers to life, the people that really searched for these birds. One of the quotes that really struck me was: "To be honest," he added, "I have somewhat let go of the need to see the bird again myself. Seeing it's not nearly as important as restoring the habitat. If we give him a place to live, he can take care of himself. It doesn't matter whether we know where he is or not."even when it was believed that they were gone”. I think that is so true. We focus so much on seeing these rare animals, when we should be working to fix the problem that makes them so rare in the first place.  

"The Thing with Feathers"

Although I have never been interested in reading about extinct birds, especially a 12 page article on one, I found this article rather enjoyable to read. The tone, in the beginning especially, was more casual than the last article we read on the ivory-billed woodpecker. Having a casual tone in the beginning didn't make the article drag on for the whole 12 pages and actually made me want to keep reading. How Wells Tower described the people he talked to, Bayou de View, and the bird, made reading this article more entertaining. When I got towards the middle of the article though it got a little more boring when he starting writing about the history of the bird and the destruction of its habitat. The last sentence he wrote really caught my eye. He wrote about how a flash of black white and red caught his eye and thinking it was the woodpecker he turned his head only to see a semi carrying new cars. This last sentence, I think, shows how we as humans are invasive and cause species to go extinct. If we wouldn't of started logging in the ivory-billed woodpecker's habitat, it may still be alive today.

“The Thing with Feathers”

At the beginning of this class, way at the beginning of the semester, I had no idea what the heck the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was, nor did I want to learn about an extinct bird. After almost a whole semester and two articles about this supposedly extinct bird, I can’t help but want to know more! The article “The Thing with Feathers” by Wells Tower really opened up my eyes as to how dedicated one could be trying to find a bird that nobody had seen in decades. Rachael stated in her blog post that she doesn't know what she would did had she spotted an Ivory-billed and then asks “What would you do in the situation? Would you be reporting our findings and risk harsh doubt?” and the answer to those questions really depends on the situation and the person. Personally, if I were to spot an Ivory-billed somewhere, I would probably do a little happy dance and then spread the word to as many people as I know. Even though this magnificent bird has been ‘extinct’ for so many years, there’s no way I would pass up the opportunity to tell people that I saw probably the only living Ivory-billed Woodpecker, you can’t just keep that information to yourself! What also blew me away were the statistics given about this bird; the fact that is stood almost 2-feet tall frightens me, how can a bird get so big? I know we have emus and ostriches, but this is HUGE for a bird I think, especially a woodpecker.  Overall I really enjoyed this article; I thought it was helpful to be reading something that relates to me, in the sense that I would be just as excited as Gene Sparling was when he thought he had seen an extinct bird.