Apple needs a better slogan than "Everything is Easier on a Mac"

[vitaboy]

Apologies for the volitile subject line, but I wanted to express my point succinctly as possible.

Basically, this thread is an offshoot of another thread I posted in the Mac Hot Topics forum

http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthr...threadid=13590

To summarize, Fox Sports did a piece on the LA Lakers. Apparently, Shaq banned all non-iPod music players from the Lakers bus because he got sick of all the CDs and tapes and stuff floating around. One player told Shaq that he had an MD player but Shaq responded that "that's not good enough." The Fox Sports team then follows three Lakers as they visit an Apple store to buy their shiny new iPods for the right to ride in the back of the Lakers bus.

That got me thinking, because if it is indeed true that "Everything is Easier on a Mac" is set to replace "Think Different" as the new motto, Apple needs to rethink the whole thing. Does anyone else think "Everything is Easier on a Mac" is kinda lame (even if it is true)?

First of all, it's a mouthful and not very catchy because it seems so blase. I mean, it's 11 syllables! And while ease-of-use is a great point to make, it's not exactly sexy or hard-hitting.

It's just vague in a feel-good sorta way. It's breaks away from the main reason why "Think Different" was so effective - because while one is a command or suggestion that encourages the consumers to do something, the other is merely a passive statement. So everything is easier on Mac! So what? What does that tell a potential customer he or she should do?

Nike doesn't say, "Doing it is the best way to get things done." They just say, "Just do it."

Sprite doesn't say, "Sprite quenches your thirst the best." They say, "Obey your thirst."

Yahoo! doesn't simply state, "Yahoo! is the best place on the Internet." It asks, in a rhetorical way, "Uhh, do you Yahoo!?" as if not using Yahoo! makes you some sort of freak.

"Gotta step up the technology" (as one of the Lakers says about why he is getting the iPod) or some other slogan asking users to act and to participate is what Apple needs to replace "Think Different."

"Everything is easier on a Mac" simply doesn't cut it, IMHO.

"Step up the technology" seems a lot catchier and more direct. It asks the user to act and participate in the digital revolution. That is precisely what Apple needs to replace "Think Different."

I humbly submit this petition for Apple to consider this or other better slogans to replace "Think Different"!

[Hypernate]

In MY honest opinion, if it works, don't fix it.

'Think Different' works, and expresses the feelings of so many mac users. Why do we use macs? To think different.

Heck, even Microsoft still has 'Where do you want to go today?'

[vitaboy]

Let's stick to the point here.

The point being made is, Apple is apparently moving away from "Think Different" in search of something new. First it seemed like it was going to be "The Power to Create" (or something similarly forgettable) that came out last year. Now there's talk about how "Everything is Easier on a Mac" may be a candidate for replacing "Think Different."

So it appears that Apple is searching for something new to replace "Think Different." As I expressed in the intial post, if Apple is replacing "Think Different," then it needs to replace it with something that is just as quotable and memorable, not with something quasi-luminous like "Everything is Easier on a Mac."

This post is not about whether "Think Different" is broken or not. But if Apple is intent on replacing it, it better replace it with something just as good.

However, while "Think Different" was a great and very inspiration tagline (I was one of the people who found it ironic that people who made fun of the phrase being "ungrammatical" were the very people missing the point - that Apple was telling people what to think instead of how to think), I do get the sense it is time for a breath of fresh air. One of the problems of "Think Different" was that it was a rallying cry for the faithful, but now Apple needs to reach out and touch all the new users out there who didn't think different. The new digital lifestyle focus deserves a new rallying cry, one that expresses the joys of having a Mac as the hub of your digital lifestyle. In those terms, "Think Different" no longer can serve the purpose.

Secondly, Microsoft dropped "Where do you want to go today" a while ago. It's been replaced by "Are you XPerienced?" I guess you missed all the TV commercials of people flying around through the air after "experiencing" XP.

Finally, there is a fantastic reason to "fix" things that are not broken. Namely, it's called improvement. Sure, there was nothing broken with Henry Ford's Model T, but I'd take any modern car over a Model T any day. The Model T worked just fine, thank you, but dammit, those meddling engineers went ahead and "fixed" such a fine, non-broken device by adding electronically timed fuel injectors, shock absorbers, air conditioning, turn signals, power steering, steel-belted tires, and the lot. Damn all those meddlers to hell with interfering with the status quo! Not!

[vitaboy]

On a totally unrelated note, there is a great anecdote about Henry Ford breaking the rule of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." While being known for building the first commercially successful automobile, Henry Ford's real contribution came from his application of mass production as a means for lowering costs.

Ford was obsessed about lowering costs and maximizing profits. He would send his engineers to junkyards to examine thrown out Model T's to catalog which parts broke and which parts survived. The engineers found that one particular widget was always in perfect condition no matter how many cars they examined - this part was so durable, it never broke!

So what did Ford do? He ordered the engineers to design the part less durably, thus allowing him to produce it more cheaply, which allowed him to squeeze additional cost savings in production. This allowed the car to be sold for less, allowing more consumers to buy it. While this seems counter-intuitive, it worked as the cheaper part still didn't break all that often and was cheap to replace if it did. Turns out having a "perfect" part was not only unnecessary, but it was detrimental to both the company and the product, since it made the car more expensive for everyone.

[googolplex]

How about just "Think"

[Jadey]

I love the new slogan, "Everything is easier on a Mac". Yes, it's longer than most slogans, but it's right to the point, and it has the word "Mac" in it. "Think Different" could have been used to advertise anything by any company. It said nothing about Macintosh computers or its advantages. The new slogan tells me we're talking about Macs, and what about 'em? Everything is easier on them. Oh, that's nice to know!

[symphonix]

I already hate the new slogan and have only just heard it. It reduces the image of the mac to a simplified PC for beginners and people who can't program their VCRs.
"Think Different" may be stale, but it does carry the spirit of the Apple user - rebellious, creative and hard to fool. If they need a new slogan, they should try targeting the leaders and inspirers. The "Everything is Easier" slogan targets people who lack confidence and/or knowledge, which is fine, but who is going to follow their example?
On the other hand, a campaign that catches the attention of the designers, engineers, scientists, students, artists, writers and rebels will have a smaller "hit-rate" but will boost a base of users that people are willing to follow and listen to. When the "new to computers" crowd goes looking for a PC, they are more likely to follow inspiring and credible people than the advice of someone in a computer store. And everyone knows (and at times is) one of these inspiring people.
That was the appeal of the "Think Different" campaign, and thats the demographic their new slogan should aim at.

[dani++]

Yes, this new 'slogan' sucks big time.