Ken Segall
- New York Times bestselling author of: “Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success” and “Think Simple: How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity”
- One of the most admired creative executives in the marketing industry
Ken Segall Speaker Biography
Ken Segall is the author of the new book, Think Simple—the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, Insanely Simple. A self-proclaimed technology enthusiast, Segall worked closely with Steve Jobs as his ad agency creative director for 12 years spanning NeXT and Apple. He has also served as worldwide agency creative director for IBM, Intel, Dell, and BMW.
Segall is an international speaker on the power of simplicity. His message has struck a chord across a wide range of industries in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, opening eyes to the benefits of simplicity that are available to all.
In Insanely Simple, Segall showed how Steve Jobs’s love of simplicity helped propel Apple from near-bankruptcy to become the world’s most valuable company. You could see it in the way Apple innovates, advertises, sells at retail, and even organizes itself internally. In Apple’s success, there are valuable lessons for every company’s success.
In Think Simple, Ken Segall goes beyond Apple to show how simplicity is powering many different companies around the world—big and small, famous and under-the-radar, established and start-ups. The book is based on interviews with more than 40 CEOs and business leaders, including those at Whole Foods, The Container Store, Ben & Jerry’s, Charles Schwab, Telstra, Bank of Melbourne, and many more.
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Speech Topics
Insanely Simple
Creating ads for Steve Jobs was exciting, intense, scary, empowering and fun. Most important, it was a learning experience. I witnessed firsthand how the love of simplicity can create better products, fanatic customers, and more fulfilled employees.
In this talk, I shine a light on the elements of simplicity that have driven the success of Apple and other companies, enabling them to outthink their competitors. I’ve got plenty of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories to share, all of which support my thesis: Simplicity is the most powerful force in business—and it’s something that any person or company can put to work today.
Inside Apple Advertising
Apple has long been the gold standard for advertising creativity, quality and effectiveness. That’s because Steve Jobs was as uncompromising in his ads as he was in his products.
Here, I focus on some of Apple’s more famous advertising moments, taking the audience behind the scenes to understand the sometimes-crazy road from concept to air. I share stories about strategies, creative development and product. If great marketing is your quest, it helps to hear how some great campaigns were born.
Working the Steve Jobs Way
Steve was exactly as advertised—often incredibly difficult to work for—but he was also one of the most effective business leaders in history. It was Steve’s mix of talent and personality that allowed him to lead Apple from the brink of extinction to unimaginable success on a global scale.
In this talk, I take a closer look at Steve’s management style, illuminating principles that anyone can adopt to motivate employees, make better products and streamline complicated companies.
Branding the Steve Jobs Way
Steve Jobs believed that Apple’s most important asset was its brand. He demanded that every product, every ad and every decision serve to enhance the brand. He knew that this was the key to attracting customers and keeping them loyal.
This talk focuses on how to build an amazing brand, Steve Jobs-style—how to focus, align the workforce, shun complexity and create a brand that only becomes deeper and more profitable over time.
My Right Foot
This is my most personal speech. It’s about finding a new way to succeed after suffering a spirit-crushing failure. For me, it was having to abandon my dream of becoming a successful drummer. I blame the failure on my right foot (long story), but I also credit this soul-sucking experience as the catalyst to finding a career that kindled an even greater passion inside.
Steve Jobs once said you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking back. The secret is being more fluid and adventurous about your future path, and learning to trust your “career DNA”—the fusion of your skills, dreams and passions.
This talk is about turning weakness into strength, turning failure into success and turning chance into opportunity. It’s about navigating the journey to professional fulfillment.
