Think Different

"I want to put a dent in the universe" - Steve Jobs




IBM's motto used to be "Think".

With that in mind, Apple Computer created an ad campaign in the late 90's called "Think Different"*. It was a great series of ads featuring famous misfits whose "different" ideas and thoughts, though seeming crazy at first, eventually changed the world for the better. This is the text of the TV commercials, spoken by Richard Dreyfuss as images of Ghandi and Einstein, Picasso and John Lennon, Miles Davis and Jim Henson graced the screen:

"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."

I imagine Steve Jobs had just enough restraint in him not to include himself in that list, although most people certainly would have. It was a very powerful message, one of the most successful ad campaigns in history, that many people think was instrumental in restoring Apple's image after a long period of bad management. Steve Jobs had just come back to the company and cleaned house, and they had new products like the iMac that were really fantastic, and yes, very different. I think this little poem is a perfect way to sum up Apple's fans in general, or at least their aspirations.

Incidentally, original posters from that ad campaign now sell for $500 or more a piece.

* Note that Apple was well aware that the phrase in proper English would be "Think Differently". Here is their response to the barrage of letters they got from bored English teachers:

Although some might want "different" to perform as an adverb in this phrase, complete with an "ly" ending, Apple and its advertising agency intend it as a fanciful category, just as we might say "Think yellow," "Think change" or "Think playful."

There they go thinking different again.