Dive summary:
- Apple is on the move to hire more creatives for their in-house design team; the in-house team was previously capped at around 300 employees and will likely expand to 500 or 600.
- Apple's move is in line with a recent study from the Association of National Advertisers that found big marketers are increasing in-house advertising capabilities, with members's in-house shops growing to 58% from 42% five years ago.
- The new hires will be focused on working on the Apple brand specifically; Apple is also hiring ad execs with creative experience to help brands and agencies create ads for the iAd network.
From the article:
"Ramping up in-house 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.'"