1. Secondly he dared to think different. His indomi-
table curiosity steered his longing for innovation.
Steve Jobs and his To make a difference for people and leave his mark
was the driving force of his ambition.
exceptional ability to Steve Jobs not only innovated but also inspired his
feel and understand customers to start thinking about technology and
the impact of certain electronic products on daily
the consumer. life. He was a great master in not just selling his
product but also selling the brand and the
accompanying image.
How exactly did he, as a very courageous and visi-
onary leader, contribute to the overall brand expe-
October, 5th 2011, Steve Jobs passed away. The rience?
news spread like wildfire. The day after, we were Jobs served as the human icon for his brand, was
all overwhelmed by articles, tweets, messages … tied up with the brand and embodied the whole
stating we lost one of the most ‘charismatic’ and Apple story. His most aspirational character traits
‘visionary’ company leaders we have ever known. became the key values of Apple, drove the entire
However his leadership was not very much by the organization’s success.
book.
But what exactly made him such an inspiring and His ability to really feel and understand the
aspirational personality? customer, this especially was the reason that
made Apple such a big brand. Steve Jobs tried to
First of all he was passionate and a perfectionist. understand his consumer. Instead of living in an
He really loved his job and lived for his ideal to ivory tower, he approached his customer and ope-
change the world. This fervent zeal reflected on ned the dialogue. He understood very well that a
his company, his employees and even the whole successful brand relationship is about brand sub-
world. It is not a secret that he was extremely high- jectivity. In other words an engaged, interactive
demanding, therefore expecting just the same spi- and constructive process in which the customer
rit and dedication from his staff. But most impor- acts as an active co-creator of relevant meaning.
tantly his enthusiasm stimulated or even ‘obliged’
every single employee to do his very best; to be a He knew like no one else how to sell dreams and
part of the Apple story. not products. Products and service offerings are

2. not the end goal but means to grant people
memorable experiences. He recognized the
importance of relating to people in specific situa-
tions and / or contexts, the power of personal rele-
vance and tailor-made individuality which makes
that brands take up a meaningful place in people’s
lives.
He was a star in telling the story behind his
products and mastering the message. He perfectly
knew how to transfer his ideas to the world and
how to inspire, engage and touch people.
By playfully experimenting with brands and images,
Steve Jobs was able to develop businesses and
products, considered long-lost. As the world goes
on searching for new opportunities and chances,
we can only hope that future inventors and inno-
vators will possess at least just a fraction of Jobs’
vision and enthusiasm.
Steve Jobs’ story has ended and now his legend
begins. We learned what an innovative vision can
do. Jobs demonstrated that one person can make
a big difference. But in fact everybody can make
a difference. And what about you? Do you have
the guts?
ACTUA
OCT
2011
by Patricia Vossenaar
Qualitative Researcher at WHY5Research