The ‘Think Different’ slogan is an Apple campaign that endorses “breaking free” from norms and embracing individuality. The simplicity of the ad promotes the simplicity of purchasing an Apple product, kind of in a “duh” way. However, even though the slogan says ‘Think Different’, the variety of Apple products are consumed by the same people. Apple users all own the same products; some may differ in generation but the concept is still the same. And the major products, iPhone, iPad, iMac, iPod, and now iWatch, essentially complete the same tasks (communication, music, pictures) but people find the need to own an “i” product in all forms. Later years of the ‘Think Different’ campaign included pictures of famous public figures such as Einstein, Hitchcock, Earhart, Picasso, and the Dalai Lama, suggesting those individuals have achieved a certain level of greatness (which is true) through their uniqueness.

The problematic aspect being addressed is the consumerism surrounding Apple. Like many other big corporations, Apple is a large establishment with a lot of power, and people buy into the products blindly. A new iPhone model will be introduced every 1-2 years with only minor updates and people will spend hundreds of dollars for an upgrade even though their current phones are working perfectly. This ad is simple yet effective in promotion, the Apple logo is recognized enough that not many words need to be on the advertisement, the consumer just has to Think Different and buy an Apple product. Technology has grown over the years and humans have become almost dependent on the many gadgets offered by companies, the problem is that people are becoming blinded by the flashy products and are beginning to mix their wants with their needs, feeding into the consumerism and feeding the big corporate men.

This ad could just have the Apple logo and that would suffice, people would know what was being advertised, Apple is that powerful. The message I wanted to convey was the consumerism associated with Apple products. The never-ending cycle of new Apple products, iPhones, iPads, iPods, iTunes, iCloud, people are living in their “iWorld”, buying more and more. The original slogan says “Think Different” but a large population of consumers have thought the same way when they purchased their new gadgets. I wanted to keep the ad as simple as the original and at the same time convey the concern of consumers. Apple promotes their products as items of necessity, and to certain individuals maybe they are, but to middle school and even elementary school children, they definitely are not. I had 3 different Apple ads to “jam” but they all conveyed the same message, I realized there didn’t need to be one specific ad that I needed to jam, all I needed was the Apple logo and the rest of the ad did not necessarily matter since I was going to alter it.

With “iWant” I hoped to express how easy it has become for people to justify their wants for new products into needs. The big corporations place the Apple logo next to pictures of historical figures, somehow associating the two with each other and consumers buy into it. Albert Einstein “Think Different”, could insinuate that he was a model for the creator of Apple, and that these products make him an above-all genius. It could also suggest that with the purchase of an apple product, you too will be a genius. I want to point out that all the historical figures used in this campaign did not have smartphones to do all their work for them, they truly were different and changed their world in unique ways. This however is not to take away from Steve Jobs’ work, he did create a major innovation and his ideas do make him ‘different’, but I wanted to focus on the blind consumption of the consumers.