Apple Juice?
The other day God told me that Apple is the Dr. Pepper of the personal computer industry.
When I was young Dr. Pepper ran the “Be a Pepper” advertising campaign. When the campaign started it implored people to “be original” playing on Dr. Pepper’s underdog status to the colas that were the big kids on the soft drink block. The commercial’s were very successful both in that they were popular enough to become a pop-culture touchstone and in that they got a lot of people to either renew or begin a love affair (or sorts) with the product. In fact, they were so successful that the lyrics morphed from being about being original to be about joining the crowd. They had always showcased that lot’s of different people drinking the soda, but the lyrics added “there seems to be a Dr. Pepper craze,” and it was more than just Madison Ave. hyperbole.
Much like how Dr. Pepper beat Coca-Cola to market, Apple was selling “personal” computers (and their attendant operating systems) before IBM (and Microsoft). But like with the “Be a Pepper” ads, Apple’s “Think Different” ads played on their underdog status. Today, much like Dr. Pepper versus Coke and Pepsi, Apple is not the leading PC maker but seems to have all the momentum and mindshare.
So if you look around these days, and seem to feel an iPad craze, well maybe you’d like to join me in raising a glass of Dr. Pepper, toasting Apple’s success, and taking a moment to “Drink Different.”
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