Plastic Perfected
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- John Lennon and Yoko Ono featured in Apple’s print version of the “Think Different” ad.
- A brief look into Apple’s newest advertisement campaign for the iPhone 5C.
In a search for Apple’s latest campaign entitled “Plastic Perfected” about the technology involved with the iPhone 5C (a plastic, less expensive version of the iPhone 5), I came across an old Apple commercial beginning with “here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits….”. Although the generation before mine would have easily recognized this campaign, I had never before heard of Apple’s “Think Different” advertisement that revolutionized the company’s image in the eyes of the American population. 
John Lennon and Yoko Ono featured in Apple’s print version of the “Think Different” ad. Right now, it’s difficult to think that Apple was ever a struggling company. In 1985, shortly after Steve Jobs resigned from the company, Apple was noted as “arguably one of the worst-managed companies in the industry” due to several misleading advertising campaigns that made products seem expensive and drove consumers away. When Jobs returned in 1997, the “Think Different” campaign served as his homecoming. The commercial itself was not only popular with customers but also critically acclaimed, receiving an Emmy Award for best commercial. In regards to the ad’s popularity, Steve Jobs said, “it only took 15…30…maybe 60 seconds to re-establish Apple’s counter culture image that it had lost during the 90s.” When most people 
Remembrance and Realization: Apple Without Steve Jobs With 2 years gone since his passing, has Apple’s “hipster” innovation died with Steve Jobs? OCTOBER 6th, 2013 BY: ALEXANDRA CALDERARO think of counter-culture, they think of the 1960’s movement of American history in which generations clashed on controversial issues such as civil rights, the Vietnam War, and nuclear arms. That’s how Apple viewed it too, as exemplified by the people they chose to put in their commercial, including the faces of Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon and Gandhi. Over fifty years after many of these people made their mark on history, a new 21st century group of “nonconformists” has emerged: the hipsters. Urban Dictionary defines a hipster as “a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.” At a first glance, the “Think Different” commercial does have a hipster-esque vibe. It is primarily in black and white, exuding simplicity and reminding teenagers of old movies and television shows that many consider “vintage”. I realized that all of the people used in the commercial were people who had broken the social norm and travelled off the beaten path to succeed in their given area. The individuals shown in the video could have very well been the “hipsters” of their time. Anyone who’s typed hipster into a search bar has learned that hipsters love the Apple company and its products. In Julia Plevin’s Huffington Post article entitled Who’s a Hipster?, she labels those who work in Apple stores and who own Apple products as hipsters. Perhaps the reason why hipsters are drawn to Apple is that the genius behind it all, Steve Jobs, was about as “hipster” as it gets, revolutionizing industry and igniting real change through creative thinking. The “Think Different” campaign parallels buying Apple products with an involvement in something special and unique. The commercial is beautiful, moving, and incorporates ideals that everyone can relate to. The rebellious attitude draws in many people, especially the hipsters of the world, who are looking for something different to be a part of. Specifically, Apple dedicates the commercial to “The misfits. The rebels. The trouble makers. The round pegs in the square holes.” For a young generation of self-proclaimed non-conformers, what more could you ask for in a company with the ultimate creative thinker leading it? However, the growth of the hipster population has met criticism as they stray from the creative thinking that they were once characterized by. As Plevin notes: “The whole point of hipsters is that they avoid labels and being labeled. However, they all dress the same and act the same and conform in their non-conformity. Doesn't the fact that there is a hipster look go against all hipster beliefs?” When watching Apple’s more recent advertising campaigns, one can see how Plevin’s thoughts can be applied Apple’s digression into the mainstream advertising world. If you were to compare Apple’s “Think Different” campaign from 1997 to the “Plastic Perfected” commercial of 2013, it seems like you’re watching clips for entirely different companies. The “Think Different” commercial makes no mention of the brand or the products until the very end, when a single Apple symbol is shown. It is sleek, moving, and impactful and sends a true message about who Apple wants to be: changers of the world and shapers of the future. In contrast, the “Plastic Perfected” commercial shows a 30 second reel of the formation of the iPhone 5C. Its traits mirror that of every other phone commercial; it advertises a product, not an ideology that goes along with a brand. There is nothing particularly innovative, or special, about the “Plastic Perfected” commercial and it ignites no emotional connection to the audience. Perhaps the major shift in Apple’s advertising strategies can be accounted for by the death of Steve Jobs. His ideologies, often known as “The Jobs Effect”, were what lead the company to its overwhelming success. However, Darrell Etherington, writer for the online blog Gigaom, notes, “Jobs’ effect as CEO goes far beyond quantifiable numbers.” This poses a major concern for Apple lovers everywhere: has Jobs taken Apple’s innovative thinking with him to the grave? The answer may lie in the contrast between the advertisements and how they reflect the difference in priorities between Jobs and Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook. Cook was previously Head of Apple’s Macintosh Division where he focused on the relationship with retailers, and before that Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Operations at the company; his concerns lie not in advertising or creativity, but in the number of sales made each year. This is why the current commercial for the iPhone 5C, Apple’s cheapest phone yet at only $50, is strictly about the phone and creating an affordable product. His advertisement differs from Jobs’s; Cook aims to sell, where as Jobs aimed to innovate. Examining the “Plastic Perfected” commercial and Apple’s new technology, specifically the iPhone 5C, can help us see the difference between the two CEOs more concretely. “Plastic Perfected” focuses on one thing: color as a unique element of the iPhone 5C. It essentially creates just another ordinary phone commercial. Former creative director Ken Segall notes that, “Apple is battling where it used to crush…Apple has history of being the ‘gold standard’ in marketing, [but] the company is no longer ‘untouchable when it comes to advertising’”. The iOS7 update seems to follow this theme. The once clean design has been changed to include rounded edges, brighter hues, and an overall younger look. To me, this is a movement away from what Apple previously differentiated their products. Jobs developed a sleek, expensive look and feel for the devices. Apple’s brand stood apart from competing companies because they were the “hipsters” of the industry; Jobs refused to succumb to the conformity posed by other technology companies in their software and “look”. Yet, in his absence, it seems like Apple is playing catch up to make their software more like the Google’s Android or Microsoft’s Windows systems. Instead of being the leader of the industry, it seems that Apple has now become a follower. A brief look into Apple’s newest advertisement campaign for the iPhone 5C. What made Apple so special in the eyes of Americans was that it was different. As Cook continues to conform the brand to match those of the competitors, he takes away the attitudes that Jobs integrated into the fabric of the company’s success. Last week, Apple was named the most valuable company in the world, beating out Coca-Cola after its 13 years of winning this title. But can Apple remain at the top as it moves further and further away from the innovation that once set it apart? As a young adult who grew up in Steve Jobs’s Apple world, there was never a time in my life when Apple wasn’t wildly successful and producing something that every kid wanted for the holidays. By the time I owned my first iPod mini in 2005, 42 million other people were already jamming to music on theirs, and when I finally acquired my iPhone in 2011, a whopping 108 million other phones were already connecting people all over the globe. In 2013, the average household owned 1.6 Apple devices, many with plans to buy more in the next year. But with the continuing changes in advertising strategy and product, is it possible Apple will lose the uniqueness it has maintained if it continues to conform? 
October 5th marks the 2 year anniversary of Steve Jobs’s death and it seems that we are losing more and more of his “hipster” Apple with each year passing. Apple’s innovation cannot, and should not, be another loss to the company. Apple must find a way to integrate Jobs’s legacy in their products, advertisements and creative technique; in essence, they must continue to “Think Different” more so in his absence than they did in his presence. Download 14.92 Kb. Share with your friends:
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