A key figure in the US civil rights movement died on October 24th…her name was Rosa Parks. I confess to be only vaguely aware of her name in the past, but I knew she was involved in the famous bus segregation incident. Apple showed that they really do ‘think different’ by turning their home page into a memorial. The image is one that they used before in their ‘Think Different’ campaign.
Apple’s Home Page Honors Rosa Parks
This simple tribute had two effects on me: first, it caused me to do a bit of Googling to learn more about her, and second it made me reflect on the very real ways that Apple differs from other large companies. This made me curious if any high profile sites may have similar tributes, so I started jumping to the home pages of all the ‘big’ web sites I could think of. Not too surprisingly, except for the news sites, there was no mention to be found anywhere of Rosa’s passing.
What does this mean? Does it mean anything? Well for me it continues to demonstrate that Apple, more than any other company I know of, has a heart. And more importantly, it lets its heart participate in the operation of the company. Sure, they are a publicly held company and are concerned with all the usual stuff: sales, profit, shareholder value, etc. But that’s not all there is to it. If you get anything out of reading this book, I hope it will be some understanding that Apple is defined by its people and the things they create; not by ROI and EBITDA.
Deja Vu
This is not the first time Apple’s has turned their home page into a tribute. Back on November 2001, something similar happened much ‘closer to home’.
It was early on November 30th, and I was sitting at my desk in 1 Infinite Loop reading the news. I was stunned when I saw a headline saying the George Harrison had died. As with many others of my generation, his music had been an important part of my life for many years. It really hit me hard. I sat there in a dark contemplative mood for quite awhile, feeling quite alone in my grief. But then I realized I wasn’t alone; many of my colleagues at Apple were Harrison fans, and I was sure they’d also feel the need express some of their feelings at this moment. This gave me an idea…one that took considerable courage on my part: I would suggest to Steve that Apple put some sort of tribute on the home page. Up to this point, all my dealings with Steve had been strictly business, and I was afraid he’d think I was some kind of sentimental looney. But my feelings pushed me forward…I sent Steve this note:
Then I waited nervously.
Several hours passed with no response, so I concluded that he wasn’t interested and sort of put it out of my mind. But that wasn’t the end of it. Later that evening, I’m back at my desk and get a call from Tom M (the Final Cut Pro product manager) who tells me he had just come from a meeting with the web group and they were all working overtime tonight because of me. ‘What? What do you mean?’ I asked. Turns out that Steve did not think it was a stupid idea, as I feared, but instead had put the web team to work on coming up with something suitable.
So, late that night, after a couple rounds back and forth with Steve to choose the best photos, the Apple home page became this:
There were three different photos of George Harrison shown in rotation.
It was one of my proudest moments at Apple; not just because I made the suggestion that prompted this memorial, but because I was honored to be part of a company that lets its heart guide its actions.
Actually, the really neat part about Apple’s Rosa Parks tribute is that the image also links to a full-page biography (on Apple’s site) of Parks’ life and her efforts in the Civil Rights movement. It’s more than just slapping an image on a homepage…
–R.J.
Thanks for mentioning that Robert! I should have pointed it out. The George Harrison tribute was that way too.
Mike
Some internet forums have seen criticisms of the Apple tribute because of the positioning of the Apple logo in the photo, seen as an attempt to capitalize on her fame.
I’m quite pleased to discover Apple’s tribute to Rosa Parks – logo be damned, it’s a very classy move. They’re not printing and distributing thousands of new posters to sell their products, they’re not running a new TV ad of Rosa Parks to sell their products, they’re simply using a pre-existing image from their campaign and posting it with – and I say this with some confidence – no intention of making this about profits or market share.
I didn’t discover that Apple had posted the Rosa Parks tribute via my favourite Mac-centric web forum, ehMac.ca: I didn’t discover it because I happened to be visiting Apple’s site. I came home this evening, dead-tired, from a conference (coincidentally enough, on Black Canadian Experience*), sat down in front of my computer, and it occurred to me: Rosa Parks died. I wonder if Apple put up a tribute?
I don’t think about whether Microsoft, or IBM, or Starbucks, or… anybody else!… did this. I just knew that Apple would recognize the significance of her death, and say something meaningful.
The more people who are exposed to the story of Rosa Parks, the better. Apple is performing a public service with this simple act of modifying its webpage, which by the way, is happening in what is a hot product moment for Apple – this ain’t the summer doldrums! Taking that valuable front page away from its iMac and iPod is certainly not pushing Apple, it’s pushing recognition and respect.
Way to go, Apple!
An inspiring blog entry! I have passed it on to my MUG here in Melbourne Australia.
More stories like these please to put a human face to corporate America!
Well done!
[...] ut Garamond font, and Apple’s home page today, featuring Rosa Parks. He also sent me this link, a fantastic story by a former Apple employee, (Mike Evangelist) who recalls that this is not the fir [...]
[...] ntly, this is not the first time that Apple has done something like this. Mike Evangelist tells the story of Apple and George Harrison. I guess only Apple can do something like thi [...]
[...] rvey – 66% read blogs , 25% listen to podcasts Thursday Linkages Apple pays tribute to Rosa Parkes and others discuss other tributes that Apple have done. Apparently 20% of ou [...]
Apple…
For those that read this blog regularly (aside from my dog), you know I’m pretty quick to slap Apple about. They are arguably the finest technology company around, but not as imperfect as the media would have us believe (or,
[...] 1 minute ago.
Tags:apple, Rosa Parks.
Another reason to appreciate Apple. Think it’s still up on their web site. apple» Rosa Parks» [...]
I have been tracking Apple for a while now (I work in the financial industry). My impression with Apple is that, more than any other company in the sector, they are keenly aware of their own surroundings, their customers views. They put themselves in the customers shoes. This is reflected in their market strategy, their product design, and as you see here in their public image.
I read a criticism of Front Show on The Register, where the author complained about the remote having very few buttons, and Jobs advancing the idea that this was better than a lot of buttons. Clearly this writer does not understand the industry: How many buttons does the iPod have? How many bells and whistles compared to other MP3 players? Who’s the market leader? Simple.
Anyway… Nuff ranting…
Mig
[...] tside of itself. Sure, this tribute could just be and advertisement, but I hope it’s more than that. Tags: rosaparks, apple [...]
[...] angelist (what a great name, eh) had a good idea. On his blog he tells the story of how he suggested to Steve Jobs that Apple pay tribute to George Harrison upon his passing and Jobs’ response. A [...]
Small things makes big difference
Small things make big difference…..Thats what its clear when I read Mike’s recent post on Apple – Thinking Different Again via OM’s blog.
Mike say’s : “…for me it continues to demonstrate that Apple, more than any …
apple tends to do these things to the website. Most memorable, to me, was the home page after the tsunamy last year. it had a red cross donation link, a small message – http://www.helenius.dk/pictures/apple_tsunami.jpg
no products, no prices. only the top links. classic apple.
Mike,
Just found your website today and clicked over to see what it was all about. I just wanted to express to you that I think you are doing something really great here. Not only do we get insight into Apple and the “mighty” Steve Jobs, but we get to see the interaction of all the parts.
I would have to agree with most of what the other posters have stated. In my opinion Apple really embraces the philosophy of being real. Not just giving lip service to the ideals.
Good job and thanks for sharing the story. I have bookmarked your page and will now be a steady reader.
Johnny