How Apple Became A Way Of Life

Job's infamous speech on marketing was, above all else, authentic. Before it was cool.

Just a few sentences in, because of the way he was expressing himself and worded his speech, he made everyone listening feel like a WE. Not a 'me' listening to a company or executive selling/explaining something, but a group.

He stayed seemingly objective and even openly criticizes Apple’s management  (“neglect”) just one minute in.

He continued with examples like the milk industry’s “Got Milk” and Nike’s honoring-athletes-advertising strategy, and so forth.

It felt like a talk at the bar. Like he was simply sharing. Like the moment he talked about the fortune Apple spent on advertisement.

He described Apple’s struggles and stories that now felt like something ‘we’ were going through TOGETHER. 

That’s what made it so captivating. He was a great story teller, but he was also able to make us feel a sense of unity. It took away all of the sale-product-company background.

Apple was now about lifestyle.

The thought he planted was, that amazing individuals use Apple products.

“...It honors those people who have changed the world. Some of them are living, some of them are living, some of them are not.

But the ones that aren’t, as you’ll see - you’ll know, that if they ever used a computer..."

The campaign slogan further underlined this.

“Think different.”

The “I hope you feel the same way about it I do” marks the final push in the “we” and “lifestyle” strategy.

Who doesn’t want to be special? "Of course I’m not going to use a Windows. That’s for boring office work and whatnot. Apple is for amazing things. For art. For great projects!" -the general perception

Job’s marketing was executed well, that much is common knowledge. What is often overlooked is just how well Steve knew how to put a stamp on brands including Apple and Windows.