Apple Advertising – From 1984 to Think Different to ‘I’m a Mac’

Email

Phone

Follow us

Our book

Brand Toolkit

Apple advertising has delivered “simplicity” since the 1970s. Apple’s advertising has been relatively consistent for over 40 years and incredibly connected with consumers. As Steve Jobs was launching Apple, the early print ads talked about how we designed the Apple computer, so you don’t have to worry about the details. 

The “1984” TV ads for the Mackintosh launch spoke about the freedom from machines. Although the message was a little ahead of its time, it fit with simplicity. 

Above all, the brilliance of the side-by-side “I’m a Mac, and I’m a  PC” TV ads epitomized the brand idea by making the PC seem overly complicated and frustrating while setting up the Mac as the simple alternative. You could build an Apple case study on the advertising alone. 

Apple Advertising Case Study

Early on, Apple figured out that most consumers get frustrated by technology

Strategically, Apple consistently focused on empathizing with—and taking advantage of—the consumer’s frustration with technology. In the 1980s, Apple attacked IBM personal computers as being too complicated. In 2005, they used “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” advertising to attack Microsoft. Each time, Apple used its “consumer-first” mentality to transform leading-edge technology into accessible consumer technology.

Most importantly, Apple has used its “simplicity” brand idea to create a bond with consumers creating brand fans they used to enter new categories. Apple is now the most beloved consumer-driven brand, with premium prices, stronger market share, sales, and profits. They used brand love to help drive a remarkable 40x revenue growth over ten years, skyrocketing from $5.7 billion in 2005 to $240 billion in 2015. This rapid growth helps cover the high costs of advertising and R&D, giving them very healthy operating margins, up over 35%. All this strategic effort has increased their market capitalization approaches $1 trillion.

We also have an Apple Case study that goes through the turnaround led by Steve Jobs. To read more, click on this link: Apple Case Study

Apple's first ad

Apple's first ad should teach you that it is ok to suck on your first ad

Have a look at the first Apple ad from 1976. The ad had no brand idea, was a cluttered mess of wall-to-wall copy, and focused everything on features with no benefits. There was no mention of the consumer and what they get or how the brand would make them feel.

To zoom, click on the Apple ad above.

The first Apple ad was a disaster.

What can you learn? No matter how much talent you bring, you might be a disaster on your first ad. To become great at advertising, you need the training to learn the fundamentals and the experience from a 2nd attempt. Try to get better with each ad.

MacIntosh ad

The launch of MacIntosh "for the rest of us" ad should teach you to focus

While Apple played around with a few cute ads of the late 1970s, none were great. By the time Apple launched the Mac in the early 1980s, we can see them taking a stance where they started talking to consumers frustrated by technology.

Tapping into the consumer’s enemy is a great way to connect with your target. While products might solve small problems, the best brands beat down the enemies that torment their consumers every day. Put yourself in the shoes of your consumer and find their most significant frustration pain point they feel no one is even noticing or addressing. Getting into the idea of the consumer’s enemy puts you into a conceptual and creative space. 

“Instead of teaching people about computers, we decided to teach computers about people.”

In the first Apple ad below, they figured out they didn’t need to speak to everyone to create a great brand. Apple could build a significant brand by talking to the smaller segment. I love calling out “for the rest of us” in the headline. 

 

To zoom in, click on either Apple ad below.

In the second Apple ad, they get even more descriptive around the target by describing them as “bemused, confused or intimidated.” The copy is fantastic. “If you’re busy enough to benefit from a computer, you don’t have the time to decipher the buzzwords or jargon.” This ad really delivers a brand positioning that separates Apple from the other computer brands. 

Apple 1984 ad

The "1984" Apple ad should teach you to take a chance to find work that you love

A lot of advertising people love the 1984 Apple ad, which aired during the 1984 Super Bowl. While it’s not in my top 10, I love the story behind the ad–the fight to get it on air. 

But, Jobs loved the ad, and he fought for it.

What I love is that Steve Jobs pushed for it, even when everyone on the Apple board hated it. Before the ad was on TV, the board ordered that Chiat Day be fired, and the media sold off. Chiat Day had purchased a 30-second and a 60-second time slots. They sold off the 30 but claimed they could not sell the 60. At this point, Jobs was already at war with the board. This situation did not help. 

When I look back at my career, with every great ad I was lucky to be part of, I had to fight to make it work. And, the work that met easy approval ended up being crap. 

If you love the work, you’ll fight for it.

When you love the work, you will believe in it so much that you will fight anyone in your organization to make it happen. Including your boss

You’ll work harder for it. The work will inspire you and give you energy. You’ll stay up till 3 am working on it. You will want to make sure it’s perfect. You will inspire everyone working on the project to share your vision. If you love what you do, the consumer will feel your passion. 

Think of the most beloved brands, whether Disney, Starbucks, Apple, or Ferrari. Look how much energy the people working there put into the brand. Show me a brand where people working there settle for good, and I will show you an OK brand that struggles for its existence.  

Never settle.

To view, use the arrow button to play the Apple ad.

Apple Think Different ad

The "Think Different" ad should teach you to send signals to your own team

To me, the best brands spend time marketing to themselves, knowing the people behind the brand will deliver their greatness on behalf of the brand.

I know the original “Think Different” ad is brilliant copywriting. But, keep in mind, Apple was nowhere when it ran. Steve Jobs had just returned as CEO of Apple in early 1997. There were many doubters as to whether Apple would survive. And, many inside Apple thought Jobs was the wrong leader. 

Apple TV ad, the crazy ones

Take a look at the “Think Different,” but this time, view it as though it is an internal video designed to communicate his vision. 

In the next ten years, Apple would launch iMacs designed to be as beautiful as furniture, the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPad. No company could do those with normal thinking. Only the crazy ones could do that much amazing in 10 years. 

To view, use the arrow button to play the Apple ad.

Apple Christmas ad

This gut-wrenching Apple ad teaches you to connect emotionally through the power of storytelling

Apple used a simple demo with their 2013 Christmas TV ad, about a young boy who appeared obsessed with his phone. The ad shows that the boy was missing out on everything, while really, he was using his phone to capture everything about the holidays. 

This Apple ad is one of my all-time Christmas favorites.

To view, use the arrow button to play the Apple ad.

I'm a Mac...

"I'm a Mac..." should teach us to make work that sticks in the mind of our consumers

To create advertising that sticks, build creative and brand assets, using new executions to always add a penny to your brand to the creative advertising idea. The best sticky ads are a combination of new, relevant, credible, and different. 

A great example of creating ads that stick is Apple’s “I’m a Mac … and I’m a PC” campaign. 

Apple made over 70 different versions of “I’m a Mac” with each ad showing another reason why PCs are complicated while the Mac offers simplicity. The visual of the two people made a perfect representation of the two brands.

To view, use the arrow button to play the Apple ad.

How Steve Jobs built the Apple brand strategy around simplicity

My hope is these great Apple ads will help you focus, take a chance on creating work you love, send a signal to your team, connect emotionally through the power of storytelling, and create ads that stick in the minds and hearts of your consumers.

Click to read our Apple Case Study and read how to write a Marketing plan

A    D    D    I    T    I    O    N    A    L            L    E    A    R    N    I    N    G

Advertising Decisions

The Creative Brief defines the box.

At Beloved Brands, we believe the best creative people are in-the-box problem solvers, not out-of-the box inventors. This builds on our Strategic ThinkBox we used in our planning process. The box below demonstrates how we need creative work that is focused on the target, fits with the brand, delivers the message, and executes the strategy. 

As marketers, we kick off the advertising process using a Creative Brief to define the box the creative advertising must play in. The execution align with the brand positioning work and deliver the brand strategy statements you wrote in your marketing planMoreover, we show examples of the good and bad of the Creative Brief. And, we introduce our Mini Brief for smaller projects and the Media Brief as part of media decisions. We have a Creative Brief template you can use. 

As marketers, we kick off the advertising process using a Creative Brief to define the box the creative advertising must play in. The execution align with the brand positioning work and deliver the brand strategy statements you wrote in your marketing planMoreover, we show examples of the good and bad of the Creative Brief. And, we introduce our Mini Brief for smaller projects and the Media Brief as part of media decisions. We have a Creative Brief template you can use. 

Use our Creative Checklist to determine if the creative work is in the box.

Then, we introduce a Creative Checklist that is designed to help you make advertising decisions. When you see the creative marketing execution come back from your experts, use our creative checklist to make decisions. Next, use your feedback to your marketing experts to steer the ideas back in-the-box. Importantly, the Creative Checklist highlights the gaps you see. Your role is to provide your problems with the work, while avoiding providing a solution. Let your creative marketing execution experts use their in-the-box creativity to figure out new solutions that will fit the box. 

To illustrate, click to review how our Creative Checklist helps decide if the creative advertising fits the box..

Use our ABC's of Advertising: Attention, brand link, communication stickiness

Here are four questions to ask:

  • First, is it the creative idea that earns the consumer’s attention for the ad?
  • Then, is the creative idea helping to drive maximum brand link?
  • Next, is the creative idea setting up the communication of the main consumer benefit?
  • And, is the creative idea memorable enough to stick in the consumer’s mind and move them to purchase?

To illustrate, click on the ABC’s of advertising to see details.

Get comfortable with various advertising techniques.

Learn how to be better at advertising. Explore other advertising ideas such as emotional advertisinghumorous ads, feel-good ads, and ads that bring consumer insights to lifeMoreover, read how to conduct your own marketing research, social media plans, or using influencers.  

Video on how to use in-the-box creativity

Have a look at our video on how to use in-the-box creativity to ensure our marketing execution stays on strategy. We introduce how our Creative Brief defines the box the work must play in. And, our Creative Checklist to allow you to decide if the marketing execution delivers. 

To read more, click on this link: How to use in-the-box creativity. 

To view, use the ▶️ controls to play our brand strategy video. 

Read our lessons from the best Coke ads of all time

Over the past 100 years, Coca-Cola has been the best advertising brand. Sure, Nike and Apple have battled for the best over the past 40 years, but they’d need to get to 2080 before challenging Coke. 

Coke ad

Click to see the best Coke Ads of all time.

Our Nike case study looks at 30 years of 'Just do it'

Nike case study Kobe Air Jordan Advertising that sticks

Click to see the best Nike Ads of all time.

Our best case studies

Explore how these real-world examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our brand management tools. Click on the logo to read the case study.

Beloved Brands logo

Graham Robertson

Email us

Call us

Follow us

Our book

Brand Toolkit

Beloved Brands Marketing Training Video

Elevate your team’s performance with our marketing training. The smarter they are, the greater your brand growth will be.

Our Best Posts for Beloved Brands blog

Click to read more

Sample Chapter of Beloved Brands

Use the X for full view and > to turn to the next page

5/5

The cheat code for Brand Managers

It is without a doubt, the most practical book for those who want to follow brand management that I have ever read in my life! Beloved Brands is written by a real, experienced marketeer for marketers. 

5/5

I have Brand Love for Beloved Brands!

As a 24-year marketing veteran at a Fortune 100 company, I thought I knew everything I needed to know about building brands. Graham has an amazing gift of bringing to life the critical elements of brand building and management in a delightful, easy-to-understand way. 

5/5

Beloved Brands is a phenomenal book

I know other brand managers who have used this to review their business and create their annual brand plans. Undeniably, Beloved Brands is phenomenal in concept and execution. Highly recommend.

Brand Toolkits

Brand Case Studies

As a marketing professional, you can learn from what some of the best brands have been doing. We use case studies to showcase the fundamentals of marketing.

Video on our Beloved Brands Mini MBA

Our video lessons

Everything a marketer must know how to do

To view, use arrows or click to go to YouTube.

How to build your brand positioning

To view, use arrows or click to go to YouTube.

Beloved Brands graham robertson

Contact Information

Graham Robertson

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 416–885–3911

Search our site for any marketing topic

M a r k e t i n g    B o o k

beloved brands

the playbook for how to create a brand your consumers will love

With our Beloved Brands playbook, you will learn to think strategically, define your brand positioning, write a marketing plan, make execution decisions, and analyze your brand. Our readers tell us they reach for Beloved Brands as a reference tool to help them with the day-to-day management of their brand. We are proud that 89% of online reviewers have rated Beloved Brands a 5-star. As a result, Beloved Brands has been a #1 bestseller in brand management. We also have the B2B Brands playbook and our Healthcare Brands playbook

Marketing Training

The smarter your team, the better the results you will see!

As a marketing team leader, you know that your team’s success is essential for your company’s growth. Our Beloved Brands marketing training gives your team the skills they need to make strategic decisions, produce exceptional work, and drive business growth. They will learn to define brand positioning, write effective plans, improve brief writing, make informed execution decisions, and analyze their brand’s performance.

We have designed our marketing training program to build the fundamental skills to help your team reach their full potential. We will work with your team to help them learn to take on Strategic Thinking, Brand Positioning, Marketing Planning, Marketing Execution, and Brand Analytics. 

Brand Toolkit
Beloved Brands Popup
Beloved Brands Mini MBA