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Does Apple need a face(book) lift?
Doesn't seem that way. Just show us that white apple with the chunk taken out, and you've finished your branding work for the day.
Right?
For a brand that essentially doesn't need branding help, Apple's certainly thinking about social media.
We're just not sure which way yet.
Proof -- its hire this month of Musa Tariq, the former digital marketing big shot at Nike and Burberry.
Apple doesn't even have a real presence on Facebook or Twitter for Apple itself, leaving that heavy lifting to the iTunes brand.
Why Now?
So what's Tariq going to be charged with? Apple won't say. We asked for an interview. The company didn't respond.
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Tariq has shared his feelings recently about successful marketing tactics:
I genuinely feel Community Management is still one of the most underrated marketing roles and tools, CMO's have to impact their business.
— Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) July 29, 2014 The best #SocialMedia advice I can give your brand is to post less.
— Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) July 22, 2014 But what about Apple? What can Tariq do for Apple?
No More Mystery
Andy White, director of social strategy at Sprout Social, told CMSWire the move's an interesting one for sure.
"On one hand you could definitely see it as diluting Apple’s completely unique mystique," White said. "They’re coming from a place where they literally only go customer-facing once or twice a year, with globally-focused keynotes, to a space where they will be required to be relating and talking to consumers 24/7/365."
Perception Game
Does Apple need "image work"? Does it need to be make waves in this regard on social media? Does this new hiring have anything to do with the IBM deal? This isn't the first Burberry hire for Apple. It hired ex-CEO Angela Ahrendts last fall as senior vice president of retail and online stores. Tariq reported directly to Ahrendts while at Burberry according to 9to5Mac.
White called Apple's branding position "unique in the sense their sentiment quite possibly cannot be any higher than it is already."
Social done poorly, adequately and not up to par with how they are perceived, White added, could even hurt their image.
"But having said that, nobody in this industry would have turned down that role. Nobody," White said. "They could obviously hurt themselves quite easily. Just look at the many faux pas and retractions out there today. But more than that Apple’s image is so clinical, so well put together, that is it even possible to reflect that in the present tense that is social? Anything less than that could result in lowered perception. A big challenge for their new hire."
Title image by 1000 Words / Shutterstock.
