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.
