The industry buzz has it that Apple is looking to create an in-house advertising agency, which will employ nearly 1000 people to work on its promotional campaigns.
Earlier in June this year, a Bloomberg report revealed that Apple had "shifted to producing more of its own television advertisements" and was not relying on its ad agency anymore.
With marketing becoming integral to the success of a product, it seems Apple does not want to leave things in the hands of its current ad agency TBWA/ Media Arts Laboratories (MAL). Apple, once synonymous with innovation and sought out as an out-of-the-box thinker, has been struggling to keep pace with rivals when it comes to marketing and pundits opine that it is losing its edge.
The company's ad campaigns have not hit the mark as expected, which has in all probability led to the decision to have an in-house agency.
"Amid criticisms that it has failed to innovate, Apple is increasingly taking marketing into its own hands. It's madly building an internal agency that it's telling recruits will eventually number 1,000 -- the size of Grey Advertising," reveals AdAge.
According to the AdAge report, Apple has invited several major players in the advertising world to "pitch on major projects." The company is also looking to recruit the best in the business for its internal ad agency and has apparently even poached some executives from current agency TBWA/MAL.
However, not everyone is keen to jump on to the Apple bandwagon and some senior talent are of the opinion that they would be better off working for alternate brands that are perceived as creative.
"I don't feel that energy from Apple," says a top agency executive who was approached by Apple for a position in its in-house ad agency. "The revolution has come and gone, and I'm not sure a job at Apple would be a creative opportunity. If I were going to go brand-side, there are a lot more interesting companies I'd rather work for, like Coke or Pepsi."
The feeling that Apple has slid on the creativity scale is echoed by the worsening relationship between the company and TBWA/MAL. Moreover, documents from the Apple/Samsung trial also disclosed that Apple's VP Phil Schiller was feeling the heat when the Korean company was leapfrogging ahead of Apple in marketing.
"It's pretty good and I can't help but think "these guys are feeling it" (like an athlete who can't miss because they are in the zone) while we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone. Something drastic has to change. Fast," Schiller emailed James Vincent of MAL, after watching the Samsung pre-Super Bowl advert, per the court documents.
With the shift to an in-house ad agency and fresh talent on board, it will be interesting to see if Apple can reclaim its title of being an innovator.
