Posted by Renegade Saw on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 @ 12:15 PM
Apple announced Wednesday that its co-founder, two-time CEO and face of the company, Steve Jobs, had passed away after a seven-year struggle with pancreatic cancer.
To detail each of Jobs’ game-changing creations would prove too lengthy for a single blog post. Suffice it to say that a number of articles, books and even a movie have already delved into the life of the college dropout who went on to become one of the most successful and recognizable tech whizzes of our time. The first authorized Jobs biography will hit shelves later this month, giving both the fanatics and the Mac-curious more to digest.
While a great deal of attention has been paid to the awesome (and I mean “awesome” in the truest sense of the word) gadgets conceived and created by Jobs, little has been said about his adeptness on the commercial side. Business 2.0 once called Jobs “easily the greatest marketer since P.T. Barnum.” Indeed his charisma, stage presence and signature style (black turtleneck and jeans) secured him the status as Apple’s most popular MC. Although his role as marketer and showman was secondary to the innovator mantle, it still supersedes other CEOs and digital gurus.
To honor Jobs, here’s a look back at some of his most memorable marketing moments:
1. “1984” Macintosh Ad, 1984: Directed by Ridley Scott, aired once during the Super bowl and named best commercial of the decade by Advertising Age. ‘Nuff said.
2. “Knick Knack,” 1989: The first animated feature created by Pixar, which Jobs purchased from LucasFilm and took to new heights. While not a reflection of his marketing prowess, the streamlined cinematography seemed to channel the crisp iMac ads that would run nearly a decade later.
3. “Think Different,” 1997: While Jobs might not have created the iconic slogan, family, friends and followers consider him the embodiment of the phrase.
4. Silhouette iPod ads, 2001: Watching those dark figures rock out against candy-colored backgrounds gave you the irresistible urge to buy an iPod and join their legions.
5. “Get a Mac” campaign, 2006 to 2009: Probably the funniest Apple ad series of all time. Laidback Mac (Justin Long) always outshined his hopelessly flawed counterpart, PC (John Hodgman).
6. “New Soul” MacBook Air commercial, 2008: Yael Naim’s feathery voice provided a nice backdrop to the introduction of the first laptop to fit in a manila folder. Everyone was humming the tune throughout the year.
7. iPad ads, 2010: Like its iPhone predecessor, the iPad commercials highlight a user-friendly interface and diverse functionality. A neutral voiceover and soft piano keys add a simplified touch.
Farewell, Steve Jobs. Thanks for the gizmos, the tech revoultion and the vision.
— Nicole Duncan
Posted by Renegade Saw on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 @ 10:09 AM
Tuesday, June 28th 12:07pm – Pope Benedict XVI, using the Vatican’s Twitter account, tweets his first ever tweet.
As you can see in the image above, the Pope tweeted the opening of an official online source for all relevant Vatican news (News.va). Not only did a Pope tweet for the first time, but also, as the image below shows, he tweeted from an iPad…yes everyone, an iPad. It looks like the Vatican has the technological hookup.
Welcome to the wonderful world of social media Pope Benedict XVI!
– Zach Prager
