Recently, I posted about how it’s possible to trace Google’s success back to an early set of guiding principles in which it committed to solving customer problems.
But did you know an even bigger brand made a similar commitment twenty years before Google ever existed?
Its list of guiding principles was even more focused.
Three things, compared to Google’s ten.
That company was Apple.
And what did the brand that became the largest company on the planet, choose to put at the top of its list of principles, when it penned them back in 1977?
1️⃣ Empathy – We will truly understand their needs better than any other company
2️⃣ Focus – In order to do a good job of those things we decide to do we must eliminate all other unimportant opportunities
Now I don’t know about you, but to me that looks very similar to what Google placed at the top of its list a quarter of a century later:
1️⃣ Focus on the user and all else will follow
2️⃣ It’s best to do one thing really, really well
Coincidence?
Perhaps.
But isn’t it funny how two of the most valuable brands in the world, set out to understand and serve the needs of their customers?
For me, a truly timeless lesson.
For brands of any size.