How Apple’s Grammatically Unconventional ‘Think Different’ Slogan Helped Revive the Company in 1997

Filmmaker Andrew Muir of The Art of Storytelling explored the creative process and linguistic nuances behind Apple Computer‘s iconic 1997 advertising campaign and its grammatically unconventional slogan, “Think Different”.

A closer look at the famous copy writing of Apple Computer’s 1997 “Think Different” advertising campaign.

Muir further noted that the deliberate use of “different” as a flat adverb challenged conventional grammar and helped redefine the struggling company’s identity at a critical turning point in Apple’s history, symbolizing its new direction after Steve Jobs returned.

The ultimate decision to go with the incorrect form of the phrase may have made all the difference in the campaign that is today widely credited with helping to save the company. … The campaign itself was a major success not because it immediately sold millions of computers but because it really affected public perception about Apple’s brand. 

Apple’s ‘Think Different’ Ad

Unaired ‘Think Different’ Ad Narrated by Steve Jobs