New Apple ad on Seinfeld

Apple Computer will run a new "Think different" commercial during the final Seinfeld episode and is experimenting with its famous logo.

May 14, 1998 6:50 p.m. PT

As more evidence of a spendy media blitz that has already included TV ads deriding Intel Pentium II processors as snails and Time magazine glossy foldouts touting its latest PowerBook notebook, Apple Computer is paying for a new 30-second version of its "Think different" commercial that will offer tribute to the comedian Jerry Seinfeld during tonight's final episode of NBC's Seinfeld show.
An estimated 75 million Americans are expected to tune into the show, allowing NBC to reportedly charge around $2 million for 30-second spots.
For any company, ads during the last episode of a hyped and widely watched television show can sometimes result in a significant payoff--both in terms of brand awareness and sales. For Apple, the brief spot represents the latest in a series of image makeovers as the company strives to present itself as a vibrant, healthy PC company.
The "Think different" campaign, a brainchild of acting CEO Steve Jobs, started running late last year. It was the first new TV ad campaign the computer maker produced since fall 1996, when it created a campaign for the education market called "Bring learning home."
Apart from TV and expensive, high-profile spots in various print magazines and newspapers, the company has begun de-emphasizing the use of its famous "six-color" Apple logo.
According to an Apple representative, the company hasn't yet abandoned the traditional logo, as most corporate communications will continue to use the standard colors. However, Apple "may phase out the old logo over time." "apple="" shape="" is="" defining="" image="" for="" apple,"="" she="" said,="" meaning="" company="" has="" decided="" to="" experiment="" with="" color="" scheme="" in="" order="" "spice="" things="" up="" a="" bit."=""> On the new PowerBooks, for instance, the company is using a larger white Apple on a black background, and the upcoming iMac uses a larger "Bondi blue" apple on a white background.