9) Don’t talk about
products, talk about people.
The 1984 commercial contains not a single image of the Macintosh. There’s a
mention of Apple and the Macintosh in the last 10 seconds. Same for “Think
Different,” where the ads weren’t about products but rather the kind of people
who would use the products. In the “I’m a Mac” campaign Jobs removed the
computers and replaced them with people — two characters who serve as proxies
for two different kinds of computers.
products, talk about people.
The 1984 commercial contains not a single image of the Macintosh. There’s a
mention of Apple and the Macintosh in the last 10 seconds. Same for “Think
Different,” where the ads weren’t about products but rather the kind of people
who would use the products. In the “I’m a Mac” campaign Jobs removed the
computers and replaced them with people — two characters who serve as proxies
for two different kinds of computers.
10) Use pictures, not
words.
The ad above contains 10 words. Even today, on its website and in its
advertising, Apple devotes tremendous effort to saying things in as few words
as possible. Partly that’s aligning with the core value of simplicity at Apple.
But it’s also because Jobs realized that images are much more powerful
storytellers.
words.
The ad above contains 10 words. Even today, on its website and in its
advertising, Apple devotes tremendous effort to saying things in as few words
as possible. Partly that’s aligning with the core value of simplicity at Apple.
But it’s also because Jobs realized that images are much more powerful
storytellers.
My favorite example of
this was the introduction of the MacBook Air, where Jobs came out on stage with
a manila envelope and slid the slim laptop out of it. There’s a video of it
just below. Listen to the crowd when he does this. That one simple gesture blew
people away and said more about the product than thousands of words could.
this was the introduction of the MacBook Air, where Jobs came out on stage with
a manila envelope and slid the slim laptop out of it. There’s a video of it
just below. Listen to the crowd when he does this. That one simple gesture blew
people away and said more about the product than thousands of words could.
