Strategy Lead, India

Marketing Communications (Marcom) is the creatively led global team that oversees Apple’s consumer-facing marketing. We ensure the flawless development and execution of world-class communications across all media and platforms. Every day, hundreds of millions of Apple customers around the world interact with our products. We drive the strategy and creative work that deliver simple, engaging and inspiring marketing experiences to new and existing customers.

The work of Marcom India includes Localization, Advertising, Partner Retail Experience and Communications, Interactive/Digital, Video & Motion Graphics, and Direct. It is the organization that plans, localizes, conceptualizes and implements Apple’s product and services communications in the market.

As Strategy Lead for India, you are the strategic engine for the market. The role will shape how Apple tells its brand and product stories in India and drive initiatives across the whole customer journey, through Apple-owned and partner touch-points, to grow Apple’s business and deepen its connection with local audiences.

The role works closely with the India Marcom Lead and peers in Marcom, Product Marketing, PR, Retail, Sales and Channel, and will keep a detailed understanding of business priorities, channel dynamics, partnerships and cultural context. The role will partner with the Worldwide Strategy team in Cupertino to bring market insight and inspiration to some of the best creative talent in the world, and will turn that insight into clear, actionable briefs for agency partners and internal creative teams. This role needs a self-motivated, flexible leader with very strong analytical, strategic and communication skills.

Insight and analysis:

Building insight into Apple’s business in India, the consumer technology category, competitor shifts, our audiences and how their relationship with our products is changing. Map and analyze shopper mindsets and customer journeys across direct and indirect channels (Apple Store online, Apple Retail, e-commerce, carriers, retailers and financial partners). Act as the voice of the customer. Combine internal data, third-party sources, and primary and secondary research into a clear, actionable picture of market opportunities. Hold an informed point of view on the cultural, social, political and marketplace factors that affect how people in India adopt Apple products.

Opportunity identification:

Look for strategic whitespace and frame business and brand opportunities that grow Apple’s business and make the brand more culturally relevant. Spot and raise opportunities all year round, not only during the formal annual planning cycle.

Strategic planning:

Lead the annual and quarterly India marketing plans with Marcom, Product Marketing and PR. Pull together market analysis, competitive insight and strategic priorities, and get alignment with worldwide objectives. Build a prioritized plan of opportunities across all Apple touchpoints, owned and partner, that sets the scope of work for the year. Design holistic, multi-touchpoint campaign strategies that go beyond traditional advertising, bringing together digital, social, physical and online retail, partner platforms and interactive experiences. Guide the channel strategist using a deep understanding of key partners’ business priorities, platform ecosystems and customer behavior.

Creative development:

Lead strategic planning end to end for product launches, locally originated initiatives and sustained experiences: frame business objectives, write the initiative and creative briefs, and set the measurement metrics. Turn deep cultural currents and consumer truths into briefs that inspire category-defining work. Act as the strategic guide for partner agencies throughout creative development.

Measurement:

Set up measurement frameworks and KPIs to judge campaign effectiveness, optimize channel performance and inform future planning.

Strategic leadership:

Guide the cross-functional marketing team in close step with the Marcom Lead, Brand and Channel, PR, Corporate Communications and Product Marketing leads. Give India Marketing and Worldwide teams regular market and cultural intelligence, competitive reviews and market snapshots that shape briefs and creative work. Design and run strategic workshops. Deliver persuasive, data-backed presentations that bring different perspectives together and influence senior stakeholders. Lead, influence and inspire cross-functional teams and external partners without direct reporting lines. Act as a leader in the wider Marcom and Strategy network, building best-in-class cases and frameworks in India that can be shared and scaled globally.

15+ years of strategic planning or strategic delivery in marketing, at leading creative, social or integrated agencies, brand consultancies, business consulting, or client-side brand teams. Experience across the full strategic range: business and brand strategy, consumer research, insight synthesis and integrated communications planning. Good working knowledge of retail environments, e-commerce and social platforms. Business-level fluency in written and spoken English.

Strong analytical skills, with the ability to combine sales, business, behavioral and media data and spot patterns. Deep knowledge of India’s digital, social and commerce ecosystem, including social-first and content-driven initiatives. Strong knowledge of the device sales channel in India (especially smartphones), including carriers, e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, large-format and multi-brand retailers, and third-party stores. Experience leading full-funnel go-to-market strategy for brand, marketing and customer experience campaigns across digital, e-commerce and physical retail. A proven record of writing clear, inspiring creative briefs on your own that turn complex business objectives into world-class creative work. A record of leading strategic conversations with creatives, agency partners and internal teams from many disciplines. Experience turning complex information into simple, compelling narratives for many kinds of stakeholders. A proven ability to build relationships, consensus and influence with senior cross-functional teams and external partners. Expertise in consumer electronics and technology. Proven leadership in advocating for a strategy and carrying it through a large cross-functional organization. Strong commercial instincts, with experience identifying and solving business problems through research. Strong cultural antennae, with real curiosity about pop culture, design and innovation. A highly collaborative, entrepreneurial approach: willing to challenge conventions, build on different viewpoints and consider many perspectives. Exceptional writing, visual storytelling and Keynote presentation skills, with active fluency in AI productivity tools and workflows. Several years of living and working in India. Proficiency in Hindi or other Indian languages is a plus.