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Apple Hires Nike's Former Head of Social Media — But Why?

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Employees wear green shirts near Apple's familiar logo displayed with a green leaf at the Apple Store timed to coincide with Tuesday's annual celebration of Earth Day in Sydney, Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

Image: Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

By Todd Wasserman8 hours ago

Apple, perhaps the biggest brand to lack a presence on Twitter and Facebook, has hired the former social media chief at Nike and Burberry.
Musa Tariq confirmed on Twitter that he is now Apple's digital marketing director.

First day of school. Hope the other kids like me!
— Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) August 4, 2014

Tariq's Twitter profile page also includes a mention of his new role. The news was first reported by 9to5Mac.

See also: Why Would the UK's Top-Paid CEO Leave for a Job at Apple?

Musa Tariq

Image: LinkedIn

Most recently, Tariq was global senior director of social media and community, digital brand for Nike, a position he had served since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. From 2009 until 2012, Tariq, a former ad exec, had worked at Burberry as global director of digital marketing.
In late 2011, he was also named direct of social media for the brand — which was then run by Angela Ahrendts, Apple's current retail chief.
Reps from Apple could not be reached for comment.
It's unclear whether Tariq's appointment will change Apple's approach to social media. The company does run Facebook and Twitter accounts for iTunes; top execs such as CEO Tim Cook, VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, SVP of Internet Services and Software Eddy Cue and Ahrendts have Twitter accounts as well.
But there is no Twitter or Facebook feed for the Apple brand itself.
At Burberry, Tariq was responsible for the brand's "Tweetwalk" program that let the brand reveal its new season looks on Twitter before they hit the runway. At Nike, Tariq was best known for pulling all of the brand's social media marketing in-house rather than relying on ad agencies AKQA and Wieden & Kennedy, Mindshare and R/GA.
Apple has also been loosening ties with longtime ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day and its TBWA/Media Arts Lab.
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Topics: Advertising, apple, Business, Marketing, Social Media