Look and Think.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about the greatest company comeback of our time.

First of all, I love the way today's fortune reminds us that opportunity is always ahead. Yes, always ahead. If you think about the word "always," it leaves little room for questioning whether opportunity will be available for us in the future. Of course, there may still be opportunity in the way you had been innovating in the past. Indeed, the future is promising—but only if you look and think. If what you are doing today is outdated, stale, or stagnant, it may be time to look ahead for your next opportunity.

There is no greater example of a company that had gone stale and looked for their next opportunity than Apple on December 21, 1996. That was the day rumors spread that Apple had begun talking about rehiring Steve Jobs as a "consultant." That was the day that proved to be the first step on a new course set for greatness. Steve was named the "interim CEO" in 1997, and by the end of 1998, Apple was saved from near bankruptcy and once again became profitable.

How did Mr. Jobs do it?

Among some smart business moves like signing a deal with Intel and buying the MacOS back from Power Computing, Steve launched the iMac. Do you remember those cute and colorful all-in-one machines, while everyone else was producing boring beige boxes? Apple introduced color, beauty, and simplicity and it all added up to the largest model rollout in the computer industry.

Why was the iMac so successful? Was an all-in-one really a new innovation? Well, no... Apple had produced all-in-one computers several times in the past. Was it the bright colors? Perhaps there wasn't anything like the iMac in the market at that time. Considering all of that, I like to think of the iMac as the "return of Apple."

Steve knew that beauty, color, and simplicity were what people wanted. He also understood that innovation isn't always the creation of something no one has ever seen before. There would be no better product to celebrate his return to Apple than a throwback to a new and improved all-in-one computer. I believe the iMac was a simple message to Apple fans saying, "We are coming back to what you first loved about us." To apply modern innovation to the classic all-in-one that was already so iconic from Apple, proved to be complete brilliance. Steve had looked ahead, found opportunity by reinventing the past, and brought Apple back to the future.