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Apple signing up new ad agencies to battle Samsung, report says

The rumours follow courtroom-revealed emails that show Apple is worried about Samsung's "in the zone" marketing.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway

Ellen Oscars selfie
Snaps like Ellen DeGeneres' Oscars selfie, taken on a Note 3, have proved good publicity for Samsung Ellen DeGeneres

Apple is on the cusp of adding a brace of new ad agencies to its marketing roster, according to fresh rumours concerning the iPhone-maker's heated battle with Samsung.

Four new agencies are set to be recruited to Apple's team, AdAge reports, citing "people familiar with the matter". The work for the new agencies is said to include 'user experience' and 'digital strategy', and follows the courtroom airing of Apple emails, that suggested the company is unsettled by Samsung's marketing.

"I can't help but think 'these guys are feeling it'", Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller wrote in an email to the company's ad agency, following one Samsung pre-Super Bowl ad. "While we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone... Something drastic has to change. Fast."

Samsung's ads frequently take targeted pot-shots at Apple's own hardware (see the video embedded below for a recent example), while the company has also enjoyed the media attention attached to sponsored high-profile celebrity selfies, such as Ellen DeGeneres' iconic Oscar selfie (above), or David Ortiz' recent snap with President Obama. The Oscars snap's value has recently been estimated at between $800m and $1bn by the advertising group that claims to have handled the product placement, Hollywood Reporter reports.

Apple certainly has form when it comes to crafting iconic marketing -- what kind of advertising ploy do you think Apple needs to win shoppers over? Let me know in the comments.