News has reached us at The Practice, that Apple has just appointed a new digital marketing director. Musa Tariq, Nike’s former global senior director of social media and community, is set to take up what we imagine to be an exciting role. But with Apple traditionally having a very limited social presence, just what could this appointment signal?

With such a strong brand image and permeation of the consumer market, Apple’s lack of social media presence has largely gone unnoticed. Like many others, we’ve paid very little thought to Apple’s social channels since the company seems to always be on our digital radar. However, if you’ve ever tried to tweet to Apple (@apple), as we have several times before, you’ll notice that it’s an inactive account, with no followers, tweets, and even without a profile picture. A recent visit to Apple’s company Facebook page revealed a less than engaging profile, with relatively frequent, yet slightly boring posts of products we’re already familiar with.

So why the lack of effort? Apple has always been known for its covert approach to marketing, keeping customers guessing as to upcoming product launches and release dates. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for its reluctance to devote a great deal of time to its social media strategy- an air of exclusivity is in line with its brand identity. The fact is however, that Apple can clearly choose to remain “anti-social”, simply because its image is so strong. Interbrand, for example, ranked the company as the most valuable in the world in its Global Brand Rankings for 2013. Is Apple’s lack of social media therefore, part of the company’s arrogance? Are they too complacent to bother with what other companies deem crucial practice? Or is keeping a low-key social profile the strongest marketing tactic in itself? Apple has cleverly managed to create a brand that most companies can only dream to strive for- and it has done this by largely shunning social media, in favour of in-store promotion and consumer engagement instead.

But now, could Tariq’s appointment show that the company wants to expand socially? We certainly have a suspicion that Apple’s much-speculated iWatch has something to do with this, as does its rumoured move towards the fashion sector. With last year’s appointment of former Burberry CEO, Angela Ahrendts, and recently, former Tag Heuer Vice President, Patrick Pruniaux, perhaps the time is right for Apple to start considering marketing its upcoming wearable products through social media. With Apple’s Facebook community page already having generated over 26 million likes, it’s evident that demand is strong for an online community where fans can exchange information, ask questions, and speculate on new products. Certainly, a cohesive social media network will allow Apple users the platform they crave, and also help the company itself obtain feedback, data, and what it is that fans want to see next. The downside to this though, is that social media could quickly escalate towards becoming a customer service tool- something that might be problematic. For instance, would this service be limited to owners of Apple products, AppleCare holders, or the general public? Where would the company draw the line? After all, Apple’s in-store customer service is strong enough that there’s simply no need to throw social media into the mix, and besides, many problems can only be fixed by having individual products examined in the flesh. However, with a potential i-Watch on the horizon, we might see Apple starting to look towards social media for better exposure, with tactics such as product placement, sponsored posts and collaborations.

Why do you think Apple’s social media presence is lacklustre? And do you think the brand needs to add momentum to its social media strategy? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital, and share your comments on our Facebook page.