Here is to the crazy ones apple

Here is to the crazy ones apple

By Luke Dormehl • 8:55 am, September 28, 2021

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Do you remember when Apple told you to think different?
Photo: Apple

September 28, 1997: Apple debuts its iconic “Think Different” television commercial, aligning the troubled computer company with some of history’s most celebrated freethinking rebels.

The most famous tagline in Apple history, “Think different” doesn’t just articulate how Cupertino differs from its competitors. It also highlights how Apple, under the leadership of Steve Jobs, will forge a future far different from its floundering, money-losing days of the early 1990s.

Apple’s ‘Think different’ ad campaign

Narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss, the “Think Different” TV spot starts out with an instantly memorable salute to counterculture ideals. “Here’s to the crazy ones,” Dreyfuss intones. “The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers — the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.”

Black-and-white images of more than a dozen 20th-century visionaries, from Albert Einstein and Buckminster Fuller to John Lennon and Martin Luther King Jr., flow past as masterful marketing copy praises the power of bold ideas.

The spot ends with the powerful (and grammatically questionable) advertising slogan, “Think different.”

Apple reunites with TBWA Chiat/Day

The successful ad, and an accompanying set of posters, did more than simply mark the return of Jobs to Apple. It was also the first Apple ad produced by TBWA Chiat/Day in more than a decade. (Cupertino ditched the ad agency following its infamous “Lemmings” Apple commercial in 1985, the same year Jobs departed the company.)

In the most cynical terms possible, the new marketing blitz served as a stalling tactic for Apple. It was an attempt to convince shareholders and customers that things would be different under Jobs.

While most fans viewed Jobs’ return with excitement, it didn’t go unnoticed that the most significant thing he had done so far was to announce one of the biggest quarterly losses in Apple history.

Unlike most things that come out of Cupertino with no forewarning, Apple actually tried out “think different” in advance. Call it a lack of confidence. Or a savvy move to make “think different” seem less marketing slogan and more grass-roots spontaneity. Whatever the case, this Apple ad campaign was, well, different.

‘Think different’ ad campaign returns Apple to its roots

As I detailed in a previous “Today in Apple history” installment, Jobs tried out the phrase in front of an audience at the 1997 MacWorld Expo. In doing so, he was “planting the seeds for the ad so that it would seem more organic when Apple debuted the [finished spots].”

The ad copy itself sprang from copywriters Rob Siltanen and Ken Segall (the latter of whom also named the iMac).

The “think different” line came from Craig Tanimoto. He also had the idea of pairing up Apple with different 20th-century thinkers. (This wasn’t entirely new territory for Apple: Its “Power is” ads from a couple years earlier featured celebrity endorsers like gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.)

Jobs himself was persuaded to record a version of the ad narration, but didn’t allow it to air for fear that people would consider it arrogant.

‘Think different’ remains part of Apple’s DNA

Jobs originally wanted to use one of Robin Williams’ inspirational speeches from the movie Dead Poets Society for the commercial, until Siltanen and Segall wrote the “Here’s to the crazy ones” copy.

This idea clearly stuck around with someone at Apple, however. The company wound up using the Williams audio sample for one of its “Your Verse” ads for iPad in 2014.

An Apple ad with a lasting impact

Apple discontinued its “Think Different” ad campaign upon the arrival of the iMac G4 in 2002. However, the ads’ impact continues to be felt to this day. It still serves as a kind of guiding-light mission statement, similar to the Apple Values manifesto of the 1980s.

Current Apple CEO Tim Cook, for instance, keeps a copy of one of the original “Think different” ads in his office. And the company continues to update the trademark with a European Patent and Trademark Office filing. (Although people should be advised not to argue with Phil Schiller that modern Apple is anything like Apple circa 1997!)

What’s your favorite Apple commercial? Do you think Apple still lives up to its “think different” mantra? Leave your comments below.

Источник

The Iconic Think Different Apple Commercial Narrated by Steve Jobs

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… 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 ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
— Steve Jobs, 1997

To what extent does attitude play a role in creativity?

The most creative people are often the ones who have a hell-raiser trait in them, regardless of whether this comes from nature or nurture. These are the people who think different, feel different, behave different. These are the people who can’t easily fit into the square corporate box. They are rebels.

Organizations both value and despise them. Rebels non-rebels uncomfortable because they challenge thoughts, processes, and the status quo. They disrupt and dismiss. They push. They raise the bar for everyone else and they call people out. They’re not being difficult on purpose — they’re being themselves. They see things differently. And that comes with both opportunities and challenges.

Rebels create organizations and then the organizations they created reject them. You need a rebel to start something but after you reach escape velocity, complacency sets in. Rebels are ignored, dismissed, or put into a positions of failure.

Many people — especially those who are less secure about themselves — have a hard time working with people that push boundaries and challenge the way things are done. These people insulate themselves from the rebels, physically and mentally.

As complacency is eroded by competition and the relative position of the organization falls, the rebels once again rise.

Embrace the rebels. Hear them out. Not all of their ideas will be good but their perspective will be different. They will push you, challenge you, and if handled properly, ensure complacency is never the reason for failure.

While we’re talking about Steve Jobs, this is one of the most profound points he ever made.

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Here’s to the Crazy Ones

“the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

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 praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?

Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?

Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Often misattributed to Steve Jobs, the poem was a part of Apple’s iconic Think Different ad campaign developed in the late 90s. Back then, Apple’s image in the computing space was that Macintosh’s were computers for ‘creatives,’ more toy than tool. Rather than try to wipe away that reputation, Apple leaned in and fully embraced it. The ad campaign highlighted how the creatives — those who see things differently — were, in fact, those who change the world—featuring iconic individuals including Einstein, Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Mohammad Ali, and more. It was brilliant! Everything about the campaign branded Apple as mavericks and distinctly different from the competition. It was an evocative campaign that painted Apple as the scrappy underdog. It certainly was, and still arguably is, a philosophy that continues to be infused in the company’s DNA despite its phenomenal success and market dominance.

The poem itself was developed by a collective including Rob Siltanen, Lee Clow, and others. It was allegedly initially ‘hated’ by Steve Jobs, although he later came around & changed his mind (classic Steve). Two narrations of the ad exist, one by Richard Dreyfuss and one by Steve Jobs himself.

Though the Think Different campaign ended in the early 2000s, the poem has continued to find its way into various Apple icons as recently as 2020. Here’s a small collection of where the verse has popped up in Apple’s icon history.

Источник

Apple: Here’s to the Crazy Ones

Creator: Advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day (1997)
Purpose: Promotional Campaign as a series of television and print commercials.

Manifesto

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 praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Sources

Comment

For me, this is one of the great manifestos that inspired the view of a Double-Sided Vision.

The strength of ‘Here’s to the Crazy Ones’ is that while it is literally an advertisement for a company, the ad does not sell a specific product.

Instead, Apple pitch a worldview that their users are likely to aspire to. It’s permission to be creative, just a little crazy, and ultimately change the world.

It’s a classic call to arms which is an essential quality of all great manifestos. And while an advertisement calling to its customers, it also has the bigger picture idealism that would inspire, motivate and engage the Apple workforce. That’s a double-sided vision.

I can imagine designer Johnny Ive walking into the then CEO Steve Job’s office with his latest prototype for the new curvy and colourful iMac and having Steve play the ad as the benchmark of success.

He might even ask: Is this crazy enough to change the world?

Источник

„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. About 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 they can change the world, are the ones who do.“

Apple Inc. «Think different» advertising company.
2000s

Стив Джобс 128

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„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. About 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 they can change the world are the ones who do.“

— Jack Kerouac American writer 1922 — 1969

Used in the Apple «Think Different» marketing campaign and sometimes attributed to Kerouac on the internet, perhaps because it evokes his famous quote from On the Road: «The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes «Awww!»» The original script was actuality written by Rob Siltanen with participation of Lee Clow. In «The Real Story Behind Apple’s ‘Think Different’ Campaign» in Forbes (14 December 2011) http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2011/12/14/the-real-story-behind-apples-think-different-campaign/ Rob Siltanen states: «I wrote everything. » «I shared my scripts with Lee, and he thought they were good. He made a couple tweaks. «
Misattributed

„One night at Socko and a year of probation were no comparison to the punishment at home. My rehabilitation was one of the fastest in adolescent history. I had it coming, and it taught me that moral rehab is possible. I behaved during my term of probation and stopped all of my criminal activity. But I would always retain my strong impulse to challenge authority and to think and act on my own whenever possible. There is room for such types in America, even in the disciplined confines of the United States Army. I’m a big believer in the value of unconventional men and women. They are the innovators and risk takers. Apple, one of the world’s most creative and successful high-tech companies, lives by the vision of transformation through exception. “Here’s to the crazy ones,” Apple’s campaign says. “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. About 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 they can change the world, are the ones who do.” If you talk to my colleagues, they’ll tell you that I’m cut from the same cloth. My military biography starts badly. I was a miserable dropout in my freshman year of college (1.2 GPA), enlisted in a delayed-entry Marine Corps program, went to work as a lifeguard at a local beach, and then came the first of several miracles: an Army ROTC scholarship. Little did I know that my rebellious activities, such as skipping class and sundry other mistakes, would lead me to playing basketball (which I was very good at) with an ROTC instructor who saw something in me. Not only that, he took surprising initiative.“

— Michael T. Flynn 25th United States National Security Advisor 1958

Introduction
The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies (2016)

„Sometimes it’s only the young ones who are crazy enough to change the world.“

Источник: Across a Star-Swept Sea

„The thing about people who are truly and malignantly crazy: their real genius is for making the people around them think theyare crazy. In military science this is called Psy-Ops, for your info.“

Источник: Infinite Jest

„They do sometimes go crazy, these people, because the world is telling them not to want the things they want. It can seem saner to give up-But then one goes insane from giving up.“

— E. Lockhart, книга The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Источник: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

„The thing that we need in the world today is a group of men and women who will stand up for right and to be opposed to wrong, wherever it is. A group of people who have come to see that some things are wrong, whether they’re never caught up with. And some things are right, whether nobody sees you doing them or not.“

— Martin Luther King, Jr. American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement 1929 — 1968

1950s, Rediscovering Lost Values (1954)

„Obsessing about things is important, and things really do matter, but if you can’t let go of them, you’ll end up crazy.“

— Linus Torvalds Finnish-American software engineer and hacker 1969

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