Ken Segall

Ken Segall is a New York Times bestselling author, international speaker and advertising creative director. He is best known for his work as Steve Jobs’ ad agency creative director for 12 years spanning NeXT and Apple. He has written two books about the power of simplicity and has appeared as a keynote speaker in over 100 cities worldwide since 2012.

Ken Segall
Born
Detroit, Michigan
(1950-03-25) March 25, 1950
OccupationAuthor, Speaker, Creative Director, Consultant
Known for12 years as Steve Jobs' ad man; Apple Think Different campaign; Apple "i" naming strategy; keynote speaker; disciple of simplicity
Websitekensegall.com

Early life

Kenneth Michael Segall was born in Detroit MI in 1950, the youngest of three children. His father's position with a retail chain forced the family to move several times before he was 10, taking him to Salina KS, Ashtabula OH, Detroit once again, and finally to Livingston NJ. At age 13, he took up the drums, studying under jazz drummer Carl Wolf, and began playing in local bands. He graduated from Livingston High School in 1968 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Pennsylvania State University in 1972.

Following college, Segall shelved the degree to focus on music, playing drums with a number of original California bands. In the summer of 1977, he toured 35 cities in Italy with Patty Pravo, an icon in Italian pop then promoting her 13th album.

Ad Man

In 1980, Segall joined ad agency Chiat/Day Los Angeles as a file clerk, then moved to New York where he landed a first copywriting job writing on the Smirnoff Vodka business. Next he joined the NY office of Chiat/Day, where founder Jay Chiat became a mentor. Bitten by the technology bug, Segall switched agencies to work on IBM Personal Computers, then moved to LA again, this time to work at BBDO on the Apple business under famed creative director Steve Hayden.

Switching coasts once more, Segall signed with NY agency Ammirati & Puris as creative director for BMW and Steve Jobs’ new company, NeXT. Jobs and Segall worked well together, and when the agency abruptly resigned NeXT,[1] Segall left the agency to continue working with Jobs independently.

In 1997, Jobs returned to Apple as the company slid toward bankruptcy.[2] His reinvention of the company included a return to his old agency, at this time called TBWA/Chiat/Day.[3] At Jobs' urging, the agency recruited Segall as worldwide creative director for Apple.

Segall led the creative team behind the iconic Think different campaign that relaunched Apple, co-writing the iconic The Crazy Ones commercial and authoring more than 50 TV ads over the next four years. He created the "i" naming strategy that led to the naming of iMac,[4] iPod, iPhone, iPad and many Apple software products.

During the Think different years, Apple became profitable after years of losses, ensuring its survival. From near-bankruptcy in 1997, Apple grew to become the world's most valuable company in 2011.[5]

In 2000, Segall was named worldwide creative director for Intel at Euro RSCG. In 2008, he became chief creative officer at Enfatico,[6] an international network of 13 offices dedicated to consumer and business advertising for Dell.

Author & Speaker

In 2012, Penguin published Segall's New York Times bestseller, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success. The book is based on Segall's personal experiences as Steve Jobs’ ad man over the years, laying out the elements of simplicity at the core of Apple's success.

Segall's second book, Think Simple: How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity, was published by Penguin in 2016. Based on interviews with 40 CEOs and business leaders in different industries around the world, Think Simple explores how other leaders have leveraged the power of simplicity to advance their companies' goals.

Segall is now an international keynote speaker on the subject of simplicity. He has spoken in more than 100 cities throughout Europe, Asia/Pacific, North America and Latin America.

Currently, he consults on creative, branding and strategy; he writes about marketing and technology on his website; and he appears on business cable as a topic expert on technology, Steve Jobs and Apple. With long-time design partner Michael Rylander, Segall also publishes Apple-centric satire at Scoopertino.

Major Agency Affiliations & Clients
  • BBDO LA: Apple
  • Ammirati & Puris, NY: BMW, NeXT
  • Ogilvy NY: IBM
  • TBWA/Chiat/Day LA: Apple
  • Euro NY: Intel
  • Enfatico NY: Dell

References
  1. Foltz, Kim (March 12, 1991). "Ammirati Drops Next Inc., Fearing Conflict With Nikon". The New York Times.
  2. Shontell, Alyson (October 26, 2010). "From Near Bankruptcy To Billions In 13 Years". Business Insider.
  3. Elliot, Stuart (August 11, 1997). "TBWA Chiat/Day Gets Apple Account". The New York Times.
  4. Segall, Ken (May 31, 2012). "Steve Jobs Almost Named The iMac The MacMan, Until This Guy Stopped Him". Fast Company.
  5. Bilton, Nick (August 11, 2011). "Apple Is the Most Valuable Company". The New York Times.
  6. Shah, Aarti (June 10, 2008). "WPP names its Dell-anchored marketing firm Enfatico". PR Week.
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