After years of intentionally keeping its in-house marketing and ad team small, Apple is on a hiring spree and looking to double the department’s head count. According to a new report from AdAge, “the group could grow to 500 or 600 staffers from about 300.”
Under Steve Jobs, Apple would often outsource its marketing needs to firms like TBWA\Chiat\Day, and while it’s still doing that, the move to add more creatives to the payroll signals a shift in strategy.
From the report:
Ramping up capabilities represents a necessary shift in direction for Apple, which under the late Steve Jobs “was fairly strict about the headcount in that group,” said the executive, who asked not to be named. “The group didn’t grow proportionally to the company as it went through astronomical growth, and that was partly because Steve wanted Apple to be seen as a products company, not a marketing company.”
Marketing, an aspect of Apple that has been led by longtime executive Phil Schiller for years, has always been one of the company’s greatest strengths. Hiring more talent to work within Apple’s walls aligns with the increased “collaboration” mantra Tim Cook explained during the executive shakeup with Scott Forstall last year.
Another recent report from AdAge said that Apple was building up its iAd team in preparation for the launch of iTunes Radio this fall.
Source: AdAge
