Apple’s “Think Different” advertising campaign is considered one of the best of all time.
It features a compilation of footage from some of the most iconic figures of the 20th century (Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Gandhi, etc.), with a voiceover that reads:
"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."
For those who have never seen it, you can watch it here (sorry for the shoddy quality).
All it took was 102 words and 60 seconds of footage to create an incredibly powerful message. This is because it does 3 things particularly well:
The brilliance behind the ad is that #3 is implied. By doing such an effective job of #1 and #2, they didn’t even need to say #3. Imagine how less cool the ad would have been if it ended with: “The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who… buy Apple products.”
How lame would that have sounded?
I would even take it a step further and say that the most important reason that it’s effective is because it forces the consumer to make a choice right then and there—do I want to be great or do I want to be mediocre?
By creating that aspirational gap between you—the consumer—and all of these iconic figures, it forces you to think about what you’ve made of your life.
So, naturally, I started thinking about how this question applies to my own life and in particular, my writing. How do I “think different”? Am I testing the limits enough? Do I need to be more rebellious, controversial, radical? How do I use my own unique experiences and individuality to push the boundaries of creativity?
I believe that if you try too hard to be something you’re not (rebellious, for example), then you will lose sight of your purpose, and the quality of your output will suffer.
And something tells me that Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t lead countless marches, peace talks, speeches, and boycotts because he wanted to “think differently.” He did them because he wanted to create social change and advance civil rights for people of color in the United States.
The point is that the people in the ad weren’t great because they tried to be different, but instead because they committed themselves 100% to their purpose.
Find what makes you tick and then run with it wholeheartedly. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Nobody can tell you what you should or shouldn’t be. Only you can decide that.
And then, once you do, you’ll finally be able to “Think Different.”
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Apple’s “Think Different” advertising campaign is considered one of the best of all time.
It features a compilation of footage from some of the most iconic figures of the 20th century (Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Gandhi, etc.), with a voiceover that reads:
"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."
For those who have never seen it, you can watch it here (sorry for the shoddy quality).
All it took was 102 words and 60 seconds of footage to create an incredibly powerful message. This is because it does 3 things particularly well:
The brilliance behind the ad is that #3 is implied. By doing such an effective job of #1 and #2, they didn’t even need to say #3. Imagine how less cool the ad would have been if it ended with: “The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who… buy Apple products.”
How lame would that have sounded?
I would even take it a step further and say that the most important reason that it’s effective is because it forces the consumer to make a choice right then and there—do I want to be great or do I want to be mediocre?
By creating that aspirational gap between you—the consumer—and all of these iconic figures, it forces you to think about what you’ve made of your life.
So, naturally, I started thinking about how this question applies to my own life and in particular, my writing. How do I “think different”? Am I testing the limits enough? Do I need to be more rebellious, controversial, radical? How do I use my own unique experiences and individuality to push the boundaries of creativity?
I believe that if you try too hard to be something you’re not (rebellious, for example), then you will lose sight of your purpose, and the quality of your output will suffer.
And something tells me that Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t lead countless marches, peace talks, speeches, and boycotts because he wanted to “think differently.” He did them because he wanted to create social change and advance civil rights for people of color in the United States.
The point is that the people in the ad weren’t great because they tried to be different, but instead because they committed themselves 100% to their purpose.
Find what makes you tick and then run with it wholeheartedly. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Nobody can tell you what you should or shouldn’t be. Only you can decide that.
And then, once you do, you’ll finally be able to “Think Different.”
