A quick guide to Apple's Think Different campaign (Updated) November 01 2024

Welcome to our post answering some of the most popular searches around Apple's iconic Think Different advertising campaign. Including where you can buy an original Think Different poster or Here's to the Crazy Ones poster.

It features some of our favourite Apple Think Different posters, interspersed with some of our best selling Here's to the Crazy Ones typographic canvas, paper and stretcher framed artworks - using the famed script from the campaign's print and TV advertising.

UPDATE:

We have also re-imagined some of our favourite Think Different posters and turned them into DIY Diamond painting art kits you can make yourself.

You can view our Think Different poster collection here .

INDEX:

Think Different - A summary of Apple's 1997 advertising campaign

Steve Jobs Think Different - was it his idea?

Think Different tagline - who came up with it?

Apple Think Different campaign - meet the team who created it

Why did Apple say Think Different?

Here's to the Crazy Ones - watch the original TV commercial

What is the full quote of Here's to the Crazy Ones / Here's to the misfits?

Original Apple Think Different posters - where can I buy one?

Here's to the Crazy Ones posters / framed & DIY Apple Think Different posters (diamond painting kits) - where can I buy one?

Apple's Think Different campaign launch newspaper ad with a longer version of the script used in the Here's to the Crazy Ones television commercial. This print ad features iconoclasts like Picasso, Einstein, Lennon, Earhart, Gandhi and Miles Davis.

Think Different - A summary of Apple's 1997 advertising campaign

The "Think Different" ad campaign was one of Apple Inc.'s most famous and influential marketing campaigns. It was launched in 1997, shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple as CEO. The campaign aimed to reposition Apple as an innovative and groundbreaking brand, highlighting its unique approach to technology and design.

The central theme of the "Think Different" campaign was celebrating the non-conformists, the rebels, the misfits, and the creative geniuses who dared to challenge the status quo and make a significant impact on the world. The campaign featured a black-and-white television commercial, print advertisements, posters and billboards, showcasing some of history's most influential minds from wide-ranging fields.

Photographs of luminaries such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Amelia Earhart, and many others.

The campaign was a departure from traditional technology advertising, which often focused on product specifications and features. Instead, Apple aimed to create an emotional connection with its audience by associating its brand with the values of innovation, individuality, and breaking barriers.

The "Think Different" campaign was highly successful in reinvigorating Apple's brand and helping to reshape its public image. It effectively positioned Apple as a company that championed the misfits and visionaries, appealing to creative professionals and those who identified with the campaign's message.

The campaign played a significant role in Apple's resurgence and set the stage for its future successes with groundbreaking products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Even though the "Think Different" campaign officially concluded in 2002, it left a lasting impact on Apple's brand identity. The campaign's message and spirit continue to resonate with Apple's overall marketing strategy, which emphasizes a fluid fusion of technology, design, and innovation.

The "Think Different" ethos remains an integral part of Apple's culture and the way the company positions itself in the market today.

Here's to the Crazy Ones / Think Different lettering poster Click through to see it in detail.

Steve Jobs Think Different - was it his idea?

While Steve Jobs was deeply involved in the development and execution of the "Think Different" campaign, he did not come up with the idea.

The concept for the campaign was created by the advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, specifically by a junior art director named Craig Tanimoto, supported by a creative team, led by Chief Creative Officer Lee Clow, and Craig's partner - copywriter Rob Siltanen.

However, Steve Jobs was deeply involved in shaping the campaign and infusing it with his vision and philosophy. When he returned to Apple as CEO in 1997, he recognized the need for a powerful marketing campaign to reposition the company and reestablish its brand identity.

Jobs worked closely with the TBWA Chiat\Day team to refine the concept, select the iconic individuals featured in the ads, and nuancing the campaign's overall messaging.

Apple Think Different poster featuring Ameila Earhart

See our DIY Amelia Earhart Think Different poster (diamond painting kit) here

Think Different tagline - who came up with it and the campaign idea?

Art Director Craig Tanimoto came up with the campaign tagline, concept, look, as well as the idea to make a commercial. However most of the TV script was written by copywriter Rob Siltanen.

There's an excellent interview of Craig Tanimoto describing the process at https://smartup.life/think-different/

And another well written and detailed 'behind the scenes' post by Rob Siltanen at https://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2011/12/14/the-real-story-behind-apples-think-different-campaign

Dave Dye's Here's to the Crazy Ones / Think Different poster from the original longer script. Click through to see it in detail.

Apple Think Different poster featuring Muhammad Ali

Why did Apple say Think Different?

Apple chose "Think Different" instead of the grammatically correct "Think Differently" for a few key reasons we conjecture:

Impact and Memorability: The phrase "Think Different" is shorter, more direct, and easier to remember. It's punchy and stands out more than "Think Differently," which sounds more ordinary.
Brand Identity: Apple wanted to communicate that it was a company that didn’t follow the rules, even in language. By deliberately using "Think Different," Apple was reinforcing its identity as a company that challenges conventions and does things its own way.
Philosophical Message: "Think Different" isn’t just about thinking in a different manner; it’s about being fundamentally different in thought. The phrase suggests a deeper, more intrinsic difference in perspective and approach, which aligns with Apple's innovative and groundbreaking ethos.
Artistic License: In advertising and branding, companies often take liberties with language to create a stronger brand identity or emotional response. The slightly unconventional grammar contributed to the campaign's unique and rebellious tone, which resonated with Apple’s target audience.

In essence, "Think Different" was a bold, creative choice that aligned perfectly with Apple's brand message.

Apple Think Different campaign - meet the team who created it

Client - Apple Computers

Client Lead - Steve Jobs

Agency - TBWA Chiat\Day LA

CCO & CEO - Lee Clow

Creative Directors - Rob Siltanen & Ken Segall

Art Director - Craig Tanimoto

Copywriter - Rob Siltanen

Voice Over - Richard Dreyfuss

Tomasz Biernat's custom lettered Think Different poster Click through to see it in detail.

Apple Think Different poster featuring Jim Henson

Dave Dye's Here's to the Crazy Ones / Think Different poster from the aired commercial's script. Click through to see it in detail.

Here's to the crazy one's - watch the TV commercial

You can watch the original 1997 TV commercial with the voice over by Richard Dreyfuss here

You can watch a version with Steve Jobs doing the voice over, which was never aired here

What is the full quote of Here's to the Crazy Ones / Here's to the misfits?

(the words ran as full page press ads and were the script of the tv commercial)

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you can’t do, is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

Apple Think Different poster featuring John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Apple Think Different poster featuring Albert Einstein

Apple Think Different poster featuring Charlie Chaplin

Apple Think Different poster featuring Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi juxtaposed with a scribble of the concept by Craig Tanimoto who came up with the idea for the advertising campaign.

Apple Think Different poster featuring Jimi Hendrix

Apple Think Different poster featuring Bob Dylan

Apple Think Different poster featuring advertising innovator Bill Bernbach

Apple Think Different poster featuring Flik the ant from A Bug's Life

Apple Think Different poster featuring Jackie Robinson

Apple Think Different poster featuring Buzz Aldrin

DIY Buzz Aldrin Think Different poster_diamond painting kit

See our DIY Buzz Aldrin Think Different poster (diamond painting kit) here

Apple Think Different poster featuring Maria Callas

Jayesh Raut's Think Different poster ( In Devnagri script, with the original words in English laid out in 3 lines). Click through to see it in detail.

Apple Think Different poster featuring Thomas Edison juxtaposed with a scribble of the concept by Craig Tanimoto who came up with the ad campaign idea.

DIY Thomas Edison Think Different poster (diamond painting kit)