Apple Talks A Big Game
Apple has a history of associating its image with famous civil rights leaders and activists in its marketing campaigns. Dr. King’s image (along with people like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Ghandi) has been used in the company’s “Think Different” campaign. Unfortunately, Apple does not observe the holiday with a day off.
Instead, the company doubles its monetary donation to charities from $25 to $50 for every hour its employees volunteer, according to Denise Young Smith, head of Worldwide HR at Apple. CEO Tim Cook tweeted multiple times about Dr. King’s legacy. Cook also claims to have a photo of the civil rights leader on his desk. Cook also mentions Dr. King in his essay about being a gay man.
#MLK:There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular but he must take it because..it is right. – Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 19, 2015
Denise’s statement can be read below:
“On Jan. 19, the country will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. At Apple, we are deeply committed to Dr. King’s philosophy of equality for all people and share the dream he expressed so well 51 years ago. We challenge ourselves to live up to his ideals every day of the year. His vision has been a part of Apple from our earliest days when he was featured in the Think Different campaign and it remains as important as ever.
“As we reflect on the significance of Dr. King’s contributions, there is no greater way to celebrate his legacy than to serve the communities where we live and work. In his honor, we are doubling our Matching Gifts program for the time you volunteer from January 19 until the end of the quarter on March 28. This means for every hour you serve, we’ll contribute $50 to the eligible organization you’ve chosen. I encourage all of you to work with your managers to find time in your busy schedules, either as a team or as individuals, to serve.
“As we celebrate the diversity within our company, we are reminded of our commitment to the advancement of equality and human rights everywhere. Together, we can and will make a difference – and in that we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream for a better world.”
See how companies like Facebook honor Dr. King.