Apple to Hire 1,000 Marketers

By Trey Thoelcke Published Jun 11, 12:10PM EDT

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As criticism that it has failed to innovate is on the rise, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is responding by taking more of its marketing into its own hands, according to Ad Age. That is a great contrast to how things were done in the days when Steve Jobs had the reins of the iconic tech giant.

In order to regain its creative edge, Apple reportedly plans to build an internal marketing agency that eventually will number 1,000. That group numbered just 300 last fall. And the number is huge compared to Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Creative Lab, which handles some of that brand’s most high-profile work with fewer than 100 people. But Google recently ousted Apple out of the top spot in BrandZ’s annual ranking of the most valuable global brands. Apple had held that position for the past three years.

Apple can use all the help it can get. Announcements at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference of updated operating systems and its new HealthKit failed to generate much excitement. The Cupertino company’s next chance to wow customers and investors comes with the release of the iPhone 6 and iWatch, anticipated in August. Question is, will there be any surprises, something beyond the widely reported and speculated features that nearly everyone has heard about already?

Analysts have been excited in the days leading up to Apple’s stock split, at least as far as raising their price targets, if not in actual upgrades. And shares hit a new 52-week high above $95 (split-adjusted) on Tuesday, though that is still down from the split-adjusted all-time high of more than $100 from back in 2012. To get there, it’s going to need to wow investors, whether it is with an iPhone 6 surprise or a truly innovative marketing campaign like in days gone by.

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.