Summary: An honor to have Ken Segall join me for episode 68, where we discuss his recent book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drive's Apple's Success. You should know about this book. It is the Steve Jobs/Apple book you really want to read. And yes, you probably know Ken Segall as an ad man behind the famous Think Different campaigns, and the iMac name, which lead to the iProduct naming to follow. But what you really want to do is understand the power of simplicity, the Apple way, and what that means for you and your business. And that's the focus of our conversation... SHOW NOTES + HIGHLIGHTS: 1. Yes, over the course of our conversation, Ken talks and shares great stories about the greatest commercial ever made. And below, I share the "Steve Jobs" narrated version, which Ken and I agree is now our favorite: 2. Apple may be known for great products, and great advertising, but there is a reason this happened. And that's a focus on simplicity. And that's why Ken had to write this book... 3. Think Different wasn't just an advertising theme in Apple's later years. The reason it worked was that was ALWAYS the way to describe Apple, especially when it was two guys starting Apple in a garage... 4. Why simplicity matters. To not only you, but your business... 5. Why do we complicate things? Is it our culture? Is it our insecurities? Is it our education? Why do we take purposeful steps to make business and life more complicated? 6. Market testing? Tweaking? Aren't you then just trying to please everyone? This is always doomed to fail. Believe in something, and tell people that. Far simpler, and an easier message to deliver... 7. "Apple doesn't care what you think." There's tremendous freedom in that... And simplicity... 8. The origin and concept behind "getting hit with the simple stick," and why we all need to wield one... 9. Can anyone just start to simplify things? It is a skill? Is it a commitment? Can you do it half-way? 10. Is simplicity an art form? Not designing an iPhone, necessarily, but the act of stripping away all that is not essential... 11. "Simple isn't dumbed down. It is advanced features made easier to use." 12. "It isn't easy being simple." 13. You can learn more about Ken Segall and his work here. And you can find Scoopertino here! 14. You can get Ken's book here: 15. To hear from other cool and hip folks like Ken Segall, subscribe to my podcast on iTunes by clicking here. And, a review and customer rating would be much appreciated as well!
