Global Marketing VP Allison Johnson Is Leaving Apple

John Paczkowski at All Things Digital reports this morning Apple’s Global Marketing VP Allison Johnson is leaving the company after 6 years for a new marketing firm she has co-founded with a former Facebook PR executive.

At Apple, Johnson has managed global advertising for some of the company’s most revolutionary products and the iconic ads for them. Those ads have been created by TBWA\Chiat\Day, which plays a powerful role at Apple.

Of course, this key part of Apple’s business is watched over closely by CEO Steve Jobs, to whom Johnson has reported directly.

Johnson, former senior vice president of marketing at HP, came to Apple in 2005 to “take a top marketing post” during the sales explosion of the iPod line. Johnson lead several of Apple’s marketing campaigns since then, and it’s surely a big loss for Apple. In January, Apple’s Design Director Sarah Brody left the company as well for Paypal.