- TikTok Loses Its President
Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok, has announced that he will step down from his role next month, as the company faces a potential ban in the United States after April 5. Chandlee will transition into an advisory role, and his departure comes at a time when TikTok is undergoing a reorganization, merging its advertising and marketing teams with the global product monetization and technology team. Chandlee joined TikTok in 2019 after spending 12 years at Facebook, where he held key leadership roles.
This change comes at a sensitive time for TikTok, as the company faces an April 5 deadline to sell its U.S. operations or risk being banned in the United States due to national security concerns. U.S. Senator JD Vance is reportedly working on brokering a deal that could save the app from a ban, potentially involving changes to the algorithm that displays content to users.
- CEOs Like CMOs, But Still Doubt Their Ability to Deliver Results
The good news: Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) now trust their Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) more than before.
The bad news: This shift in relationships hasn’t necessarily led to greater credibility for marketing as a business function.
Paul Hiebert reports on findings from a new report on the CEO-CMO relationship.
While CMOs are receiving praise for aligning more closely with CEOs, the report shows that CEOs still remain skeptical about their ability to deliver tangible business outcomes. This is according to the latest annual CEO-CMO relationship report from Boathouse, an independent advertising agency that surveyed 150 CEOs in January.
When it comes to the main priorities of top marketing professionals, 76% of CEOs now believe that their CMO is more committed to the company’s overall mission and leadership than to personal interests.
- Despite Big Marketing Moves, Nike’s Revenues Have Slid 9%
From the Olympics to the Super Bowl, Nike has made a conscious effort to return to the bold, cinematic marketing it’s known for. While that’s made for some great brand work, it hasn’t exactly moved the needle on struggling sales.
The numbers
$11.3 billion – Nike’s Q3 2025 year revenue, down 9% year-over-year. Revenues for the flagship Nike brand were down 9% to $10.9 billion.
$6.2 billion – The sneaker giant’s wholesale revenue, which decreased 7% year-over-year.
$4.7 billion – Direct sales. These were down 12% year-over-year primarily due to a 15% decrease in Nike DTC revenues and a 2% decrease dollars derived from its stores.
$405 million – Converse’s revenue for the quarter. This declined 18% year-over-year.
Watercooler talk
This was Nike’s first full quarter under chief executive (CEO) Elliott Hill, who returned to the brand to take on the top role in October 2024.
Hill has orchestrated a turnaround plan, “Win Now,” to return Nike to growth amid stiff competition from newer competitors such as On and Hoka, as well as declining sales in North America and China.
Since joining he’s been focused on rebuilding relationships with Nike’s wholesale partners, debuted a highly-lauded return to the Super Bowl with an ad squared towards women, and announced a buzzy partnership with Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand.
- More Data, More Problems: Why the U.S. Department of Justice Wants Google to Share More Ad Information
The proposed antitrust measures by the U.S. Department of Justice against Google’s search business could force the tech giant to open up its “walled garden” and provide advertisers with more data about where their ads are being shown.
What exactly would advertisers get in such a scenario? As with most legal and ad tech topics, things can get pretty complicated.
Of course, this isn’t the first time advertisers have demanded greater transparency about where their ads appear.
