Apple Begins New Ad Campaign, Posts QuickTime Movie

A recent letter from interim CEO Steve Jobs to all Apple employees expressed his delight that TBWA Chiat/Day, the advertising agency responsible for the CLIO-winning "1984" ad that launched the Macintosh, is developing Apple’s new brand marketing push. The Think Different campaign kicked off on 28-Sep-97 with two appearances of a new 60-second commercial, now available online as a 3.3 MB QuickTime movie. The commercial, a simple, clean video montage, shows people who have made a difference this century, from Albert Einstein to Amelia Earhart. We’re intrigued that Apple has returned to image advertising and impressed by the breadth of the campaign, which also includes bus shelter ads, billboards, and print ads. A single ad campaign can’t reverse Apple’s fortunes any more than a token cash infusion from Microsoft could, but if Apple is to return to its glory days, a strong image campaign must be part of the puzzle.