This is what I’m talking about when I say emotion trumps speeds and feeds any day of the week. Apple isn’t talking to everyone here, they’re talking to a select few. “The misfits, the rebels…” And by speaking to these few, they’re really talking to everyone. Ignoring the grammar of the “Think Different” campaign (which my wife brings up every time she hears it), this campaign was about much more than a computer. It’s about how you live your life. Are you one of the crazy ones, or aren’t you?

And for my friend Tony C, this is why people buy Macs instead of PCs. Either they think different, or they want to give the impression that they think different. Or they don’t think different, and they buy PCs. Is “being cool” the same as wanting to “think different?”

Did it sell more computers? I don’t know. Did it inspire people to reevaluate their life? Maybe. I hope so.

Related, here’s another commercial that does more than just sell a product. It offers hope. That’s what we can aspire to achieve in advertising.