How Apple sells to the crazy ones

Today, we’re looking at one of the most famous ad campaigns ever.

Not because it’s got staying power. Not because it’s simple. And not because everyone copied it.

It's dead simple. Not too wordy. Repetitive in the best way. But the best part? It's an ad only Apple could run.

Let’s take a look.

But...hang on. Remember. 

You’re going to learn a lot more about what makes good writing if you write this ad out, by hand. It helps, trust me.

You're done? Great.

Top lessons from Apple’s “To the crazy ones” ad

Keep it simple.

Black text on white background. Colorless photos. Simple sentences. Short paragraphs.

Take a glance at this ad. Does it look intimidating? Of course not. It passes the glance test with flying colors; it looks short and digestible.

The best way to stand out is to be inviting.

If you change up sentence length, you’ll get something worth reading.

Remember. If you keep sentences short. Like these. It becomes hard to read.

And if you keep sentences long, like I’m doing with this one right now, then you forget where you even were, like the beginning of the sentence is a stranger you’ve never met.

This ad reads like poetry. 

Make some sentences short. Some can be a little longer, to keep things interesting. Just remember to switch it up. That’s crucial. If you don’t, you’ll completely lose your reader.

Sell the emotion, not a tech spec.

Apple doesn’t even tell you what it sells in this ad.

Well, sort of. “We make tools for these kinds of crazy people.”

What it makes isn’t that important. Apple spends the whole ad associating its brand with one emotion. 

Being crazy. 

The best kind of crazy - the kind that changes the world.

You buy an Apple product, you’re telling everyone you’re a little bit crazy.

At least, that’s what the ad wants you to think.

It’s (almost always) better to show everyone you reject the status quo.

Apple doesn’t care about how people used to do things. They don’t care about the stodgy finance folks of New York City, or the stuffy old-money CEOs of London.

They want the ruffians. The scoundrels. The scrappy creatures who end up bending the world to their will.

They don’t build products for the status quo. It might be the bigger market, but it won’t change the world. They sell to the people who do.