Here’s to the Crazy Ones

Every business owner can tell you what they do. Far fewer can tell you who they are. That’s the part Steve Jobs never skipped, and it’s a big reason this ad still gets to me.

Steve Jobs was a mastermind of communication and marketing. His vision, passion, and creative mind is one that has helped propel Apple into the most successful company on earth.

Watch the video below as he speaks to his staff team about some of their internal product changes shortly after he returned to take back over Apple. And, most importantly listen to his discussion around the new campaign he worked so hard to bring to light to help define what Apple stood for: Here’s to the Crazy Ones.

One of the beautiful aspects of this ad is the fact that Steve puts so much time and energy into defining Apple’s brand. And he does it with passion. Many entrepreneurs rush to create a company logo and website and come up with some catchy copy, but they leave their passion and authenticity at the door. Apple recognized this and spent their time trying to dig deep and figure out who they believed they were and find the best way to represent that. Heart and soul is always the way to go if you want to connect to an audience, build a brand, or run a successful business.

While you watched a clip of the Crazy Ones ad in the video above, it’s missing the music due to copyright. One of my absolute favorite versions, however, is the one that Steve himself narrated. I still get chills every time I watch this one. You can almost hear the care he takes reading each and every word.

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, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing 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 people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs, narrating Apple’s “Think Different” ad in 1997. Apple aired the version read by Richard Dreyfuss, and this one never ran on TV.

Video: Steve Jobs Archive, courtesy of Apple.

Start with who you are

Here’s a simple exercise to do before you touch your logo or your website. Write down what you believe, who you want to serve, and what you want people to feel when they work with you. Keep it to a few plain sentences. If you can’t say it simply, your customers won’t be able to say it either.

Get that part right first. Once you know who you are, the logo, the website, and the copy all get a lot easier, because you’re not guessing anymore. You’re just telling the truth about who you are.

Put your heart and soul into it. People can tell when you do.