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Over the last decade Apple Computers has made a phenomenal comeback that I believe is something that will be studied in business schools if its not already being done. I would even go far to say that Apple’s comeback should be studied from a branding perspective.
The Think Different campaign, launched in 1997, was a key factor in Apple’s recovery from financial difficulty and reinvigorating their brand with creativity and re-establish lost brand.
Think Different: Einstein
After this campaign, Apple has had many creative campaigns that today has positioned their brand as not just a computer for creatives but for the everyday computer user. However, it’s the ‘Think Different’ campaign that sparked it all.
Think Different: Graham
Think Different: Dylan
The brilliance in this campaign is that it was refreshing to see our heroes being honoured but more importantly, there was someone everyone can relate to. It marked the beginning when clearly Apple is no longer looking to be perceived as a niche product, that is, for creatives only.
Why should it? Designers aren’t the only type of creative people in the world and Apple recognized that even though designers were loyal followers, to truly bring the company back, they have to appeal to creatives outside that niche.
‘Think Different’ channeled the creativity of some of these key innovators, muscians, filmakers, artists and others saying, hey, we advocate all forms of creativity because creativity is about thinking different, it’s about changing the world.
It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve come from or the colour of your skin, at some point, one of these ad touches you and reminds you of a defining moment in history where these people made a change.
Think Different: Ghandi
Think Different: Picasso
The ‘Think Different’ campaign is undoubtedly all about branding. There was strategic decision to not include any Apple product in the ad and placement of computer ads in fashion magazine makes a big statement. The key goal was to re-gain what their brand lost and this is evidence by Jobs statement at a party he held for his staff at Palto Alto, “our brand is the most – or at least one of the most – valuable things we have going for us now.” – Davenet
This campaign was inspired and built on campaigns like Nike’s “just do it” and MILK’s “got milk” campaigns. This is mostly true because of his mention of these campaigns at the Palo Alto party in celebration of the campaign.
Think Different: Moonwalk
Think Different: Ghandi
Think Different: Einstein
Think Different: Hitchcock
Click here to view the embedded video.
There’s a part where the executive producer said she saw something in the materials that she would never have been able to articulate. That’s very interesting because it shows that sometimes, you really have to see it to know that’s what you want.
What do you think of this? Should creatives always know before hand what they want because we’re visual thinkers? Is it a case where out thinking evolves as we go? Or is it really a case of “we know it when we see it”?
Click here to view the embedded video.
‘Think Different’ is not just another campaign but one that revitalize a brand that’s worth billions today. It’s a campaign that increased sales and placed Apple on the right path. It did not just send the message to consumers but Apple staff clearly clear got the message.
Do you think this campaign played such an integral role at Apple? What’s an example of another campaign that has such an impact on a company? Let me know your thoughts.
Perhaps We Should Hold Apple And Other U.S. Companies Responsible For Foxconn’s Crimes
In: web resources
18 Feb 2010
Buried in a Reuters report on Foxconn, a division of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry, is a description of an attack on a journalist visiting a Foxconn factory in China while chasing down a lead on an Apple product. The journalist was taking pictures of the factory from a public road, he says, when two guards attacked him and tried to drag him into the factory:
In China, a Reuters reporter found out the hard way how seriously some Apple suppliers take security.
Tipped by a worker outside the Longhua complex that a nearby Foxconn plant was manufacturing parts for Apple too, our correspondent hopped in a taxi for a visit to the facility in Guanlan, which makes products for a range of companies.
As he stood on the public road taking photos of the front gate and security checkpoint, a guard shouted. The reporter continued snapping photos before jumping into a waiting taxi. The guard blocked the vehicle and ordered the driver to stop, threatening to strip him of his taxi license.
The correspondent got out and insisted he was within his rights as he was on the main road. The guard grabbed his arm. A second guard ran over, and with a crowd of Foxconn workers watching, they tried dragging him into the factory.
The reporter asked to be let go. When that didn’t happen, he jerked himself free and started walking off. The older guard kicked him in the leg, while the second threatened to hit him again if he moved. A few minutes later, a Foxconn security car came along but the reporter refused to board it. He called the police instead.
After the authorities arrived and mediated, the guards apologized and the matter was settled. The reporter left without filing a complaint, though the police gave him the option of doing so.
“You’re free to do what you want,” the policeman explained, “But this is Foxconn and they have a special status here. Please understand.”
Foxconn, which makes products for Apple, Sony, HP, Amazon, Nokia, Motorola, Nintendo, Microsoft, Dell and Cisco (and just about everyone else), has been criticized much in the past for sweat shop working conditions and the alleged suicide of an employee who allegedly lost an iPhone prototype.
Neither of those stories could lead to much given the lack of evidence, witnesses, etc. But this attack of a journalist certainly left witnesses.
If the attack had occurred in the U.S. it would almost certainly lead to lawsuits against Foxconn and criminal charges against the guards. In China, however, all the police will say is “But this is Foxconn and they have a special status here. Please understand.”
Foxconn is massive – perhaps exporting as much as $100 billion worth of hardware a year out of China. And they are under great pressure to maintain confidentiality for their clients.
But attacking a journalist, or anyone for that matter, goes too far. Foxconn will not be held to account for what happened. But maybe it’s time we started to hold those companies that do business with Foxconn – Apple, Sony, HP, Amazon, Nokia, Motorola, Nintendo, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and other, responsible. By not buying products produced by Foxconn. Because next time someone (else) may end up dead after an interaction with Foxconn. Perhaps if they lose a few big name clients the company won’t be in the news quite so often alongside headlines involving sweat shops, physical attacks and suicides.
iPhone Lessons and the User Experience
In: web design
10 Feb 2010
As you may have read in one of my recent posts, I have become the owner of a brand new iPhone. This is the third Apple product that I have acquired (after my iPod Nano and MacBook), and there are some common elements that I have experienced with all of them. Obviously, there is the excellent design and craftsmanship. All three products feature beautiful lines and surfaces, and just generally lovely to look at. That is somewhat of a hallmark of Apple’s line of products!
iPhone Lessons and the User Experience
The other thing that was common to all three of the products was an exceptional user experience – specifically in terms of first contact. In this article, I would like to look at four lessons that I learned through my own initial experience with my new iPhone.
Before getting started, though, I would like to preface this discussion by stating that user experience (or UX as it is called) is an area in which I am still learning and growing. As such, I certainly don’t come at this subject with any claim at being an authoritative voice on the subject. Instead, I would simply like to share some of my own observations and outline what I feel that I’ve learned from them.
Attractive Packaging
Before ever even getting my hands on the iPhone (and beginning a never ending battle with fingerprints and smudges on its glassy black surface), my first contact was with the packaging itself. The box was small and compact, and a remarkable example of design in its own right! The top of the box featured an image of the iPhone itself, with the apps arranged to their default configuration.
The shape of the iPhone was also raised out of the smooth rigid cardboard, and printed with a shiny finish along the silver bevel. All of this radiated the simple promise of the device that was resting inside, waiting to be used and enjoyed.
All told, this first moment of contact with the product was extremely enjoyable (I will definitely be keeping that box). From this, I would suggest that, although simple packaging on its own will never be enough to establish a positive user experience, it’s certainly a good first step.
I think that this same premise can be translated into a lesson for designing all types of user experience. By wrapping the product in an attractive and enjoyable package (either physical or metaphorical), you can begin to establish the foundation for a positive user experience. Once the packaging is opened, however, it will always be up to the product itself to deliver that experience.
Uniformity of Brand
After opening the packaging, I obviously came face to face with the iPhone itself, resting in its simple, black plastic cradle. There were, however several other things also to be found in that little black box, including the instruction booklets, headphones, the USB cable and a nifty little adapter which turns that cable into an independent charging cord that plugs right into the wall.
All of these things were wonderfully familiar to me through my experience with other Apple products. I would like to consider each of them independently.
Instruction Booklets – All of the booklets were contained in a simple, black and matte-finished pouch. The pouch was extremely simple looking, with no real graphics beyond the words “Designed by Apple in California”, and a simple tab to help keep it closed. It was, however, almost identical in every way other than size to the pouch that had held the various instruction booklets for my MacBook. Immediately upon opening it, I felt a sense of familiarity with the Apple brand.
Earphones – I’ve never been a big fan of the earphones that Apple ships with it’s iPod line. But, then, I’ve never been a big fan of any kind of earphones. I’m much more partial to larger headphones that actually rest over top of my ears. That being said, the earphones that came with the iPhone were still familiar, and helped link it in with the rest of the product line.
USB Cable – This is also true of the USB cable, about which I was significantly more excited than I was with the earphones. The cable that came with the iPhone is identical to the one that came with my iPod over a year earlier, and my wife’s iPod several years before that. I’ve purposefully mixed and matched and found that all three of the cords are entirely interchangeable! Not only does this create still more uniformity across the product line, it’s also incredibly convenient for repeat customers (like myself). I can now leave one cord at the office, one by the home computer, and another one in my laptop bag, meaning that it should always be easy to plug the iPhone into my MacBook, no matter where I am!
USB Attachment – The USB attachment is a handy little device, which I was pretty stoked to find included with the iPhone. Having to charge a mobile device through a computer can be pretty frustrating when you’re on the go, and this attachment helps eliminate the problem! Additionally, though, it also reminds me a lot of the power cord for my MacBook, which has a similar, removable block, and allows me to attach it to a larger power cord for added length. Again, the appearance of this attachment reminded me of another Apple product, helping to establish uniformity across the brand!
The lesson learned here is the importance of branding in the user experience. For me, every purchase of an Apple product only emphasizes my understanding of their core brand values. Also given that I have had a positive experience with all of their products, I can thus be confident that any future purchases will also provide me with a similar (positive) experience!
It Just Works
One phrase that we’ve heard as recently as Steve Jobs’ much heralded revelation of the already infamous iPad is that “it just works”. This is equally true of the iPhone. I was able to simply turn it on and start using it. I pressed the home button and up popped the menu. I quickly located Safari (another form of brand uniformity), launched the app and started surfing the internet.
The iPhone reall does just work (click for original image source)
It really was that easy.
And so was setting up my email. I just plugged the iPhone into my MacBook and synced them up. Immediately, the mail app on my iPhone was configured and I was able to download and read my emails. All of the other apps worked the same way. As such, my immediate experience with the product (and my continuing experience so far) is that it just works. There’s no need to jump through hoops to get it to do what I want.
The lesson to be learned here is that a product should just do what it is designed to do. This, of course, would include a website. If your site is designed to have a specific functionality, making sure that it just works the way it’s supposed to is a relatively a elementary (though perhaps not always simple) way to help ensure a positive user experience!
Wonderful Simplicity
The iPhone is also wonderfully simple and intuitive to use. This is similar to the fact that it just works, but I categorize it somewhat differently because a product can work the way it’s designed to but still be more complex than is really necessary.
Not so with the iPhone. After turning it on, I was able to navigate through the apps easily – literally just with a flip and tap of my thumb. Various functionality, such as systems settings were easy to find and understand. After just a few hours I felt more than competent with the device. This all contributed to a positive experience on my part.
Compare this against my wife, who picked up a Blackberry at the same time as I got the iPhone. She actually really loves her new phone, so I am by no means suggesting that she had a negative user experience, but there was certainly a longer learning curve as she accustomed herself to using the device and navigating through the various menus and sub menus.
Fortunately the learning curve was not so steep as to turn her off of her new purchase, but there is a user experience lesson to be learned here too. Make the use of your product (or design) as simple as possible. Of course, you don’t want to sacrifice functionality, but making your interface simple and intuitive is another crucial step towards helping to ensure a positive experience for your users and/or customers.
Conclusion
Well there you have it. This is probably not the most scientific or academic way out outlining use experience, and is certainly not an exhaustive list of the areas that you need to consider when designing for user experience. Still, I hope that you can learn something from this article. At the very least, I hope that my experiences have helped to affirm some of the things that you may have already known on the subject.
As I mentioned, I’m far from an expert in user experience, so I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this one. Did any of you have a similar experience with your iPhones, or perhaps with a different product? Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts and experiences!
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