When Apple's Think Different television campaign first aired in September of 1997, the company was in dire straights (or, as we call it, "The Sculley Years"). To make a long and well-known story short, Steve came back, the company launched the enormously popular "Think Different" campaign with Chiat/Day, and that, true believers, was how Apple got its groove back.

LowEndMac takes a very interesting look at the development of that campaign, from the initial concept to the first broadcast commercial in '97. Some interesting facts include that Chiat/Day was given just 17 days to complete the project, and that Steve himself courted some of the people whose images were used.

Well done, Apple and Chiat/Day. We still love those ads.

Sony is apparently trying to hitch a ride on Apple's bandwagon, at least in Australia so far, by attempting to remove the 'PC' moniker from their branding. On the VAIO C C Series product page for Sony Australia, Sony is not only using a "non-pc pc" slogan, but also a bizarre Flash movie directly inspired (right down to the costumes) by Apple's Get A Mac campaign, complete with a third VAIO character. The interactivity is strange because it doesn't seem to do anything - the three characters simply turn around and offer, uh, *strange* sound effects - not even catch phrases or complete sentences. The movie itself, however, is a clear sign that Sony is trying to separate its brand from the rest of the industry in the same way Apple does. Think about it: everyone, including Apple, makes PCs (i.e. - Personal Computers), but Apple makes Macs, and now Sony makes VAIOs. If we momentarily disregard the fundamentals at play here - such as Apple having a truly unique software platform, while Sony uses Windows like the rest of the industry they're trying to banish to the uncool kid's corner - this is a serious branding move for a company like Sony to make, even if it seems, at least for now, this is only done in Sony's Australian branch.

In a way, I can't blame them for trying this out. After a detrimental year of exploding batteries, selling security-trampling Windows rootkits, embarrassingly low PS3 shipments and even a digicam recall, Sony could use a fresh change of pace. Unfortunately, I don't think they offer enough to have any chance of differentiating themselves and, more importantly, overriding the culturally understood definition of 'PC' to achieve some sort of cool factor. Sure, Sony has some impressive hardware, and they make some of their own unique software packages that do iLife-type stuff. Sadly, you'd be hard-pressed to find a journalist, amateur blogger or even a Mr. Consumer who can use Sony's apps without being overtaken by soul-wrenching pain.

At the end of the day, Sony still uses Windows, which means they can't wash away the negative connotations with unimaginative marketing and a wish for things to get better.

[via digg]

Remember those crazy DefectiveByDesign kids in hazmat suites trying to give customers the 411 on DRM outside Apple Stores? TDMW (The Digital Music Weblog) snagged an interview with the DbD collective on the state of DRM, what their beef really is and where they believe things are headed. The group has been snagging some major news coverage as of late, and this interview is a really interesting window into their stance on DRM and what it's doing to our culture (example: ooh, sorry - your mom isn't authorized to borrow that CD).

In the interest of avoiding another bloody war over whether we should be shopping at the iTMS, however, I'll just direct your attention to TDMW's interview for your reading enjoyment.