In 1997, Steve Jobs told employees: Nike sells shoes, yet inspires millions

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, 11 years after he was forced out of the company he co-founded, one of his first priorities was not just fixing Apple's products but rebuilding its brand. During a staff town hall then, Steve Jobs pointed to Nike as what he called one of the world's best marketing examples. Although Nike "sells shoes," he said people associate the company with something much bigger than its products. Jobs also used that example to explain why Apple should stop focusing only on technical specifications and instead tell customers what the company stands for. His thinking later shaped Apple's iconic "Think Different" campaign.Steve Jobs praised Nike's marketing strategyAddressing Apple employees, Jobs said the company's brand had weakened during the years he was away and needed to be rebuilt. "The Apple brand has clearly suffered from neglect," Jobs said. "We need to bring it back."He then highlighted Nike as an example of strong branding. "The best example of all, and one of the greatest jobs of marketing the universe has ever seen is Nike," Jobs said. "Remember, Nike sells a commodity. They sell shoes. And yet when you think of Nike, you feel something different than a shoe company."According to Jobs, Nike's advertisements were successful because they focused on athletes and inspiration instead of product features."In their ads, they don't ever talk about their products. They don't ever tell you about their air soles and why they're better than Reebok's air soles. What does Nike do? They honor great athletes and they honor great athletics. That's who they are, that's what they are about," he said.Steve Jobs wanted Apple to sell an idea, not specificationsSteve Jobs said Apple needed to follow a similar approach instead of talking about processor speeds or comparing itself with competitors. "The way to do that is not to talk about speeds and feeds. It's not to talk about MIPS and megahertz, it's not to talk about why we're better than Windows," he said.That philosophy led to Apple's famous "Think Different" campaign, which featured personalities such as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon. Rather than highlighting computer specifications, the campaign focused on creativity, innovation and Apple's larger mission.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.