APG-U.S. Account Planning Awards: Core Values

Agency: TBWA C/D Client: Apple Getting the company to stop acting like a computer company and start acting like Apple again. By June 1997, Apple Computer was facing significant problems from eroding market share to leadership turnover--amounting to successive unprofitable quarters. Company stock was in the mid-teens, and developers and customers were questioning the future of the Macintosh platform. With the arrival of Steve Jobs, Apple's new interim CEO, a clear communications challenge was laid out: Develop a campaign that would give our installed base a reason to reaffirm their decision to choose Apple. This was the first step in Apple's creation of a long-term business strategy. To question whether the problem was perception of the Apple brand or perception of Apple products missed the point. An understanding of the real problem emerged from talking to Apple employees, Apple users, PC users and "influencers" in the computer category. Users and nonusers had lost faith in the company. The key question was: How do we restore faith in Apple the company? Our core user audience used language that sounded like people questioning their faith. But they wanted to believe in the company because they loved the product and believed in what the brand stood for: triumph over the status quo and belief in the individual. Research again helped by revealing that Apple users have a different relationship with computers than PC users. Apple users were inspired by what the technology could help them do and create, not by the technology itself. Apple had lost sight of this and had been behaving like a "computer company" for a number of years. Therefore, a simple strategy emerged: Stop acting like other computer companies and start acting like Apple again--a company devoted to creative thinking. This strategy not only provided creative direction, it acted as a unifying theme which infused every area of Apple. The tagline that was created from this process ("Think different") soon became an employee mantra, instilling renewed confidence and affecting every area of the company's business. Consumers found the work motivating, even inspiring. The work gave consumers faith in the company's future and reinforced their understanding of Apple. They saw it as Apple having rediscovered its vision, its purpose. Since then * Employee turnover has been reduced dramatically. * Hits on the Apple Web site have increased tenfold. * First back-to-back profitable quarters in three years (Q4 '97 and Q1 '98), generated by improved sales, realignment of company priorities and inspired management and employees. * The most successful new-product launch (Power Macintosh G3) in Apple history. CLIENT: Apple Steve Jobs, Interim CEO Allen Olivo, Sr. Dir., Worldwide Marketing Communications Ann Winkler, Dir., Mass Communications AGENCY: TBWA C/D Lee Clow, Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide Lisa Welch-Nehring, Sr. Planner Laurie Coots, Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Golub, Sr. Producer Monica Karo, Media Dir., L.A. Nan Vaughn, Media Dir., Apple

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APG-U.S. Account Planning Awards: Core Values

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