Ken Segall is the name behind the "i" prefix, which has been the defining base for the branding of almost all Apple products. The prefix has been part of the company's brand strategy since the Steve Jobs era. However, Segall has recently expressed that it is high time Apple underwent a rebranding that better represents the company's ongoing innovations and evolved product dynamics.
Ken Segall, the man behind the 'i' prefix of Apple's products, now thinks that it needs to go away
Steve Jobs appointed Ken Segall as Apple's ad agency's creative director to work on NeXT, and he has been serving the company ever since. He is the man behind many famous Apple campaigns, including the Crazy Ones commercial and the Think Different advert. His biggest influence on branding Apple has to be the "i" prefix he came up with for the products.
The "i" prefix dates back to 1998, when the iMac was first introduced. The branding strategy denoted how the prefix represented the individual, the internet, information, and inspiration - all that signifies what the company is about. The branding technique was a major hit, and a trend of all subsequent Apple products coming with the "i" was set, such as the iPod, iPad, and iPhone.
According to a report by Wired, Segall believes that Apple needs to push itself and opt for a fresh brand identity that represents the evolved version of Apple's flagship products, the design change, and the new technologies they incorporated along the way. Here is what Segall had to say:
The ‘i’ needs to go,” he says. “It’s now meaningless. Sure, [Jobs] built [Apple] around it, but remember, the ‘i’ has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix—it’s still in front of some of the greatest brands ever—but it can’t be protected, and for too long there have been companies with ‘i’ internet-connected things, and that’s an issue for Apple, known for innovation.
If we notice, Apple has been slowly transitioning into rebranding since 2007, first with the Apple TV. However, that was not intentional, as it was supposed to be branded as iTV originally. The conscious choice for a different brand name was first with the Apple Watch and now with the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple has positioned itself in the market so strongly that with brand awareness and loyalty, many Apple users would buy the products even if the prefix is not there, such as with the MacBook. With the iPhone, chances of loyal consumers resonating with the brand name can be the case. In such scenarios, if the rebranding is not done carefully, it can alienate loyal buyers. However, if done meticulously, rebranding might help the brand truly represent the new generation of users and current times.
Apple navigated brand positioning by making changes in its product lineup, which was responsible for the company securing its position as a leader in the tech industry. So, given the agility and evolution in the tech industry as well as the company, Segall's stance on fresh branding does seem logical. However, many users have shared their apprehensions on different forums, expressing their hope that the revamp does not follow the rebranding strategy by X (formerly Twitter).
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