Apple is hiring a “Buzz Marketing Manager” in its New York office to get the iPhone in the hands of high-profile users, like those that appear on film or TV.

A major contribution to rival Samsung’s success has been its willingness to spend large amounts on money on advertising and celebrity promotion. Samsung’s latest celebrity stunt at this year’s Oscars, involved host Ellen DeGeneres tweeting a “selfie” pic shot with a Samsung phone. The PR stunt was a huge hit, as the tweet went on to become the most retweeted tweet in the history of Twitter.

Apple, it appears, wants to create similar buzz around its own products, using celebrity power and product placements. From the job description:

This new Buzz Marketing role is primarily responsible for constant and compelling exposure of Apple products with high-profile users, especially those in film and television. The position also supports key iTunes and Apple Retail initiatives. The position reports to the head of worldwide Buzz Marketing and keeps aligned with PR, Marketing, Apple Retail and iTunes.

The responsibilities of the job specifically mention coordinating with TV and film creative teams for product placements, maintaining relationships with high-profile influencers like directors, actors, artists, athletes, designers etc., and to leverage these relationships for organising events at Apple Stores.

In the past, Apple products have been prominently featured in various hit films and TV shows without Apple actually paying for these placements. But it looks like Apple wants to take its product promotion to the next level, to effectively compete with Samsung.

We had noted earlier that Apple was looking to hire new ad agencies, after an email thread between Phil Schiller and Apple’s current ad agency leaked out, showing tensions between the two companies.

Here’s a link to Apple’s job posting.