Edible Apple

While AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Wiener continue to bicker over creative control and actor cuts, season 5 of Mad Men remains on schedule for a 2012 launch. And while it remains to be seen if AMC will get its way and incorporate more commercials and greater product placement, one thing that’s for certain, Edible Apple has learned, is a special guest appearance by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Jobs is reportedly a big fan of the advertising-centric show, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that marketing is an integral part of Apple’s product strategy. Indeed there are a number of stories highlighting Jobs’ intense involvement with the advertising process. Remember that upon his return in 1997, one of Jobs’ first orders of business was to rehire the ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, the firm behind Apple’s iconic 1984 commercial.

More recently, Adidas pulled its $10 million ad campaign from iAds because Jobs was reportedly being too much of a “control freak.”

So yeah, Jobs may very well be the Silicon Valley equivalent of Don Draper.

Jobs first got in touch with Wiener a couple months ago through a mutual friend, and even went so far as to email the Mad Men creator this Summer to congratulate him on the show’s third consecutive Emmy for Best Drama. Recently, Jobs emailed Wiener to wish him luck with his ongoing negotiations with AMC. Wiener wrote back, jokingly stating that if Jobs was part of the cast, AMC wouldn’t be putting up such a fuss.

Piqued by the idea, Jobs fired back saying that he would be honored to have even a bit role on the upcoming season. A big Apple fan himself, Wiener told Jobs “consider it done” and that was that. Edible Apple has learned that Jobs will have a bit role as a VP of a rival advertising firm to Sterling Cooper.

Health wise, Jobs is of course still out on medical leave from Apple, but was able bodied enough to unveil the iPad 2 a few weeks ago without missing a beat. Moreover, Jobs over the past few months has been spotted with increasing frequency on Apple’s Cupertino campus.

Production on the 5th season of Mad Men is set to commence this July with the first episode scheduled to air in early 2012. Once production begins, we’ll keep you posted as to Jobs’ involvement in the show, though from what we hear he’s only slated to appear in one episode and, unless things change, has only 2 lines.

Though Weiner and AMC ultimately reached an official agreement late on Thursday evening, getting there was an arduous process to say the least.

Speaking to the NY TImes this past Tuesday, Weiner explained, “I don’t understand why, with all of the success of the show, they suddenly need to change it. l I want to do is continue to make my show, and make it in the way I want to, with the people I want to make it with.”

And apparently one of those people is Steve Jobs.

We can’t wait.