Now Reading: In 1997, Steve Jobs told Apple: Nike sells shoes, inspires millions
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In 1997, Steve Jobs told Apple: Nike sells shoes, inspires millions
In 1997, Steve Jobs told Apple: Nike sells shoes, inspires millions
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after an 11-year absence, he told employees the brand had suffered from neglect and needed rebuilding. During a town hall, he held up Nike…
The Story in Brief
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after an 11-year absence, he told employees the brand had suffered from neglect and needed rebuilding. During a town hall, he held up Nike as the world's best marketing example. Nike sells a commodity, shoes, but its ads honour athletes and inspiration, not product features like air soles. Jobs argued Apple should stop talking about processor speeds or comparisons with Windows. Instead, the company should communicate what it stands for. That thinking led to the iconic 'Think Different' campaign featuring Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy narrative here is that branding alone saved Apple, or conversely that specs don't matter. Both miss the point. Jobs had a great product in the iMac and later the iPod, but he understood that people buy into an idea, not a list of numbers. Indian marketers often copy the 'Think Different' language without the product to back it up. The real test: does a customer feel something when they see a logo, or just see a commodity? Look at how many Indian brands still lead with RAM and megapixels instead of a story.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
