Change the story. Change the game
It is a very simple idea
And over the decades nobody has employed this strategy more successfully than Apple
But before we take a look at how Apple repeatedly changed the story and changed the game we need to understand the Game:Story matrix is non-linear
Very few campaigns breakthrough and change both the story and the game
Even for Apple the overwhelming majority of their advertising isn't about changing the story to change the game
It's mostly been about reinforcing the story and reinforcing the game
This is because the breakthrough narrative appears early in the product adoption cycle
In the 5 decades Apple has been manufacturing consumer electonics it has produced just 3 advertising campaigns that have fundamentally changed the story and changed the game
The first was 1984
This was the campaign that redefined personal computing
Every subsequent campaign since that ground breaking Superbowl Ad has been about differentiating and reinforcing Apple's premium position in the personal computing market
They haven't changed the story. And they didn't change the game
The WinTel PC dominated sales volume. Apple remained a niche, premium vendor
The second was the Silhouette Series for the iPod
This was the Sony Walkman disruptor
'The 1000 songs in your pocket'
It redefined Apple as more than Personal Computer manufacturer
It ushered in the era of Wearable Apples that ultimately gave us the Apple Watch and now the Airpods
The final campaign was the Hello campaign that launched the iPhone
This was the campaign that launched the 'iPod you could call upon'... and the rest is history
Note: I have previously covered how the iPod to iPhone upgrade strategy was response to the Nokia media phone elsewhere
Now there is no shortage of Apple products and campaigns that failed to change the story and ultimately failed to change the game
The most infamous one being the Newton PDA
Apply the 'change the story game and you change the game thinking' to the Newton Commercials and it is self evident why this campaigned failed...
Was this really a story anyone would engage in?
Was it a game anybody was interested in playing?
Have a think about it... at least until next time...