Smiling Apple employee featured in the Unbox Yourself employer brand campaign.

UNBOX YOURSELF

Insight-led Brand Strategy and Platform Development

Redefining Apple's employer brand around the individuality, passions and perspectives of the people who make Apple, Apple.

THE CHALLENGE

Looking beyond the traditional picture of talent.

Apple wanted to attract a broader diversity of people and perspectives, but traditional recruiting often defined talent by role, discipline or geography.


The opportunity was to tell a more human story—helping people look beyond the stereotype of an "Apple employee" and see a real place for themselves.

Stll Image of Apple video spot
Stll Image of Apple video spot

FROM PEOPLE TO INSIGHT

Understanding the person before the employee.

Through 100+ conversations with employees around the world, we explored their passions, motivations and experiences—and what ultimately drew them to Apple and made them stay.


What emerged was a richer picture of belonging—one shaped less by where people came from or what they did, and more by the values and passions that made them who they were.

Still Image of Apple video spot

100+
GLOBAL EMPLOYEE CONVERSATIONS

↓

HUMAN INSIGHTS
PASSIONS • VALUES • MOTIVATIONS

↓

6
VALUES-BASED PERSONAS

There wasn't one type of person who belonged at Apple.

Apple was what connected them.

THE STRATEGIC SHIFT

From recruiting around roles to understanding what drives people.

The research reframed how Apple could think about prospective talent—shifting the focus from roles, disciplines and geography to values, passions and motivations.


Rather than defining people by where they fit within the organization, the new framework focused on what made them distinct, helping prospective talent see themselves at Apple while giving the brand a more human, globally scalable way to connect.

THE STRATEGIC SHIFT

From recruiting around roles to understanding what drives people.

The research reframed how Apple could think about prospective talent—shifting the focus from roles, disciplines and geography to values, passions and motivations.


Rather than defining people by where they fit within the organization, the new framework focused on what made them distinct, helping prospective talent see themselves at Apple while giving the brand a more human, globally scalable way to connect.

THE STRATEGIC SHIFT

From recruiting around roles to understanding what drives people.

The research reframed how Apple could think about prospective talent—shifting the focus from roles, disciplines and geography to values, passions and motivations.


Rather than defining people by where they fit within the organization, the new framework focused on what made them distinct, helping prospective talent see themselves at Apple while giving the brand a more human, globally scalable way to connect.

Apple employee featured in the Unbox Yourself campaign, which centered individuality, passions and perspectives.
Apple employee featured in the Unbox Yourself campaign, which centered individuality, passions and perspectives.
Apple employee featured in the Unbox Yourself campaign, which centered individuality, passions and perspectives.

THE IDEA

An invitation to bring what makes you different.

The research showed that Apple's people weren't connected by a shared background, discipline or career path.


Unbox Yourself turned that insight into a platform built around a simple idea: there was a place for you at Apple, and what you uniquely brought was part of what made you belong.


The people behind the insight became the people who brought the idea to life.

THE IDEA

An invitation to bring what makes you different.

The research showed that Apple's people weren't connected by a shared background, discipline or career path.


Unbox Yourself turned that insight into a platform built around a simple idea: there was a place for you at Apple, and what you uniquely brought was part of what made you belong.


The people behind the insight became the people who brought the idea to life.

THE IDEA

An invitation to bring what makes you different.

The research showed that Apple's people weren't connected by a shared background, discipline or career path.


Unbox Yourself turned that insight into a platform built around a simple idea: there was a place for you at Apple, and what you uniquely brought was part of what made you belong.


The people behind the insight became the people who brought the idea to life.

BRINGING THE PLATFORM TO LIFE

Building an evergreen platform designed to stay relevant across audiences and moments.

REAL STORIES

Employee-led films and features brought the platform to life through the passions, perspectives and experiences uncovered in the research.

CULTURAL MOMENTS

The idea flexed around relevant moments throughout the year, creating timely expressions without changing the core platform.

CONNECTED EXPERIENCES

The platform extended across content, digital, experiential and recruiting touchpoints, creating multiple ways for prospective talent to experience the employer brand.

BRINGING THE PLATFORM TO LIFE

Building an evergreen platform designed to stay relevant across audiences and moments.

REAL STORIES

Employee-led films and features brought the platform to life through the passions, perspectives and experiences uncovered in the research.

CULTURAL MOMENTS

The idea flexed around relevant moments throughout the year, creating timely expressions without changing the core platform.

CONNECTED EXPERIENCES

The platform extended across content, digital, experiential and recruiting touchpoints, creating multiple ways for prospective talent to experience the employer brand.

BRINGING THE PLATFORM TO LIFE

Building an evergreen platform designed to stay relevant across audiences and moments.

REAL STORIES

Employee-led films and features brought the platform to life through the passions, perspectives and experiences uncovered in the research.

CULTURAL MOMENTS

The idea flexed around relevant moments throughout the year, creating timely expressions without changing the core platform.

CONNECTED EXPERIENCES

The platform extended across content, digital, experiential and recruiting touchpoints, creating multiple ways for prospective talent to experience the employer brand.

MY ROLE

BRAND STRATEGY

INTEGRATED MARKETING

AUDIENCE INSIGHTS

I led research and strategic development for Unbox Yourself, conducting many of the 100+ employee interviews across global markets and translating those insights into six values-based personas and a new employer-brand strategy.


Working across research, strategy and creative development, I presented the thinking to Apple leadership and helped translate the strategy into an evergreen brand platform, with many of the employees I interviewed ultimately becoming part of the creative storytelling.

MY ROLE

BRAND STRATEGY

INTEGRATED MARKETING

AUDIENCE INSIGHTS

I led research and strategic development for Unbox Yourself, conducting many of the 100+ employee interviews across global markets and translating those insights into six values-based personas and a new employer-brand strategy.


Working across research, strategy and creative development, I presented the thinking to Apple leadership and helped translate the strategy into an evergreen brand platform, with many of the employees I interviewed ultimately becoming part of the creative storytelling.

MY ROLE

BRAND STRATEGY

INTEGRATED MARKETING

AUDIENCE INSIGHTS

I led research and strategic development for Unbox Yourself, conducting many of the 100+ employee interviews across global markets and translating those insights into six values-based personas and a new employer-brand strategy.


Working across research, strategy and creative development, I presented the thinking to Apple leadership and helped translate the strategy into an evergreen brand platform, with many of the employees I interviewed ultimately becoming part of the creative storytelling.

LET'S CONNECT

Have a project, opportunity, or idea worth talking about?

LET'S CONNECT

Have a project, opportunity, or idea worth talking about?

LET'S CONNECT

Have a project, opportunity, or idea worth talking about?

Los Angeles, CA

© 2026 Brian Wright

LinkedIn

Los Angeles, CA

© 2026 Brian Wright

LinkedIn

Los Angeles, CA

© 2026 Brian Wright

LinkedIn