It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you can get people riled up just with the mention of a few words. Take for example the word “Apple.” Let’s suppose I walk into a certain area (or areas) of the office here at Worthwhile and say “Apple.” Instantly I would have certain members of our team drooling with hunger and delight that would only make Pavlov proud. (Note: I am in no way comparing these people to Pavlovian dogs.) Maybe if I changed up the word to “Microsoft” I would hear giggles of glee coming from the developer side of the camp. 
Apple – what is one thing you notice about Apple’s branding? Clean and crisp white space. Another thing you may notice is their use of younger and possibly “more hip” models for their billboards and commercials. Oftentimes it is a black outline of a younger person dancing with their iPod in hand. Even consider their TV ads featuring the younger and cooler kid with the older and nerdy looking PC guy. When I see Apple I think “cool.”
Microsoft – what is the one thing you notice about Microsoft’s branding? The one thing I have noticed is their use of the common person. Many Microsoft ads feature kids almost trying to humanize the corporation. A lot of their other ads feature people of all walks and all occupations in an attempt to be the computer for the common man or woman. When I see Microsoft I think “vulgar.” (Note: Vulgar meaning of the ordinary people not crude or coarse.)
What does all this mean for branding? For some of you reading this post you would NEVER put the word “cool” next to Apple. You would put maybe arrogant, annoying, wanna-be products, or something spiteful. Others of you would never put the word “vulgar” next to Microsoft unless you meant it to be nasty. So has Apple failed in their branding? Should Microsoft invest more money in fixing security holes and less in advertising with kids? No.
Just because all people haven’t bought into the brand you are pushing doesn’t mean you have failed. I would put forth it means you have succeeded. Think about it – why do Microsoft fans hate the Apple brand so much? Because they know in reality Apple’s message is dead on – they are cool. Why do Apple fans hate the Microsoft brand so much? Because they know Microsoft really is for the vast majority of people.
So as you brand your company and those haters start hating remember – truth often hurts the most.
