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TikTok has ousted its top marketer after strange campaigns

Nick Tran has parted ways with TikTok following “stunt marketing" campaigns that may have gone too far.

TikTok

Too chaotic for TikTok?

Image: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

TikTok ousted its Nick Tran, its global head of marketing, The Information reported. The reason for his departure was not made clear.

Tran, who has been at TikTok since mid-2020, was known for his out-of-the-box ideas. He announced creator NFTs in September, but most were never released. TikTok Kitchens, a ghost-kitchen concept which would serve viral recipes, was first reported in late December; its website still says it is "coming soon." One executive said on a call with the marketing team earlier this month that the app is "not in the restaurant business and we shouldn’t pretend to be," The New York Post reported. The executive reportedly called Tran's campaigns “stunt marketing."

“We can confirm that Nick Tran is no longer with TikTok and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” a TikTok spokesperson told the Post.

Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's global COO, will take over Tran's duties until his position is filled.

Nat Rubio-Licht

Nat Rubio-Licht is a Los Angeles-based news writer at Protocol. They graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in newspaper and online journalism in May 2020. Prior to joining the team, they worked at the Los Angeles Business Journal as a technology and aerospace reporter.

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