Talks to Watch

Apple - Here's to the Crazy Ones (1997)

695K views · May 24, 2010 · 0:30 · 0 HN recommenders · 5 mentions · discussed 2013–2021

Apple's 1997 Think Different commercial, 'Here's to the Crazy Ones', which launched the campaign after Steve Jobs returned. It celebrates misfits and unconventional thinkers.

Why Hacker News points people here: HN cites it as an example of Apple praising the word crazy, though some call it vague feel-good marketing at odds with today's Apple.

What Hacker News said 5

Cites itprotomythJul 2013

“Apple used the word in a ad campaign[1] early in Steve Job's[2] return.”

Apple ad using the word crazy positively

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First, "crazy" isn't automatically a negative term. It can even be seen as positive. Apple used the word in a ad campaign[1] early in Steve Job's[2] return. As to the infrastructure, it really has nothing to do with some fear of socialism. It is very much the problem of cost s, regulatory hurdles, and (increasingly) lack of skilled workers to carry out the construction. Court costs are the biggest killer. Every group is going to bring a lawsuit in any big infrastructure project. China doesn't have to worry about that[3]. For all the talk, if high speed rail was $1 million per mile and we had no lawsuits, we would have the things all over the place. 1) this video 2) link 3) sometimes this hurts more than helps when problems arise in the project

in “China’s plan to build the longest underwater tunnel on the planet” · view on HN
Cites itmastaziJun 2021

“Edit: the ad was this one”

Ad showing crazy as a positive connotation

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I think it's a matter of angle, in western popular culture "crazy" often has a positive connotation, for example I remember seeing an ad with the line "For the crazy ones". In other instances, it's the opposite, in my wife's home country for example, "crazy" is used as an insult and it's highly offensive. Edit: the ad was this one this video

in “Alan Turing's biggest fan remains the real enigma” · view on HN
Cites it29083011397778Aug 2021

Apple ad celebrating unconventional ideas

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I can't say which distro grandparent is using on their Pinephone, but when they say split-screen they could very well mean, literally, what one would find on a desktop. While personally, this sounds cumbersome to me, some people have very unusual ways of using their Pinephones. To me, that's awesome - we've settled on "how one uses a mobile phone" based on what Google and Apple have designed. Having new, off-the-wall ideas will lead to some people doing slightly insane things, and I say that in the most positive way possible. Finally, as long as we're straying firmly off-topic: What some people are doing with their mobile Linux devices always reminds me of an Apple ad [0], from when "Think Different" was still the motto of an underdog. [0] this video

Criticalalex_cJul 2013

“Both are content-free, vague, feel good ads.”

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I'll play devil's advocate and ask: how is this different from the celebrated "Here's to the crazy ones" ads? Granted, these ads are more bland and forgettable, but that's a difference of degree, not kind. Compare: this video link Both are content-free, vague, feel good ads. I feel like all the criticism in the article would also apply to "Here's to the crazy ones", perhaps even more so - at least the new ads actually outline Apple's design philosophy, while the older ad really has nothing to do with... well, anything. So I'll grant that the execution in the new ad falls somewhat short, but does that simply mean the ads don't go far enough with vacuous feel-good stuff?

CriticalfimdomeioOct 2019

“of course Apple is not what it used to be and this is just marketing talk”

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of course Apple is not what it used to be and this is just marketing talk but just look at the "here's to the crazy ones Apple comercial": this video Can any entity glorify civil disobedience historical figures and bend to the wills of a country known for gross human rights violations? Of course it can but it shouldn't.

in “Apple told some Apple TV+ show developers not to anger China” · view on HN