Applause Entertainment’s Ashok Cherian to join TikTok India as Marketing Head

• Ashok A Cherian has joined TikTok India as its marketing head.
• Before this, Cherian led the Marketing & Revenue efforts at Applause Entertainment, a part of Aditya Birla Group.
• He will be responsible for spearheading the overall brand strategy and marketing initiatives for the platform.

Ashok A Cherian who was the marketing and revenue head at Applause Entertainment will soon be joining TikTok India as its marketing head. He will be responsible for spearheading the overall brand strategy and marketing initiatives for the platform.

During his career, spanning two decades, he has held several leadership roles including as the Chief Marketing Officer at SMAASH Entertainment contributing to the rapid growth of the brand. Cherian's experience includes working in the print, television, consulting, and retail industries, with brands such as MTV Networks, UTV Broadcasting, Open Kimono, Naked Communications, and Just Another Magazine.

At Smaaash, he was leading marketing while also looking after building the brand and bolstering its growth.

Welcoming Cherian to the team, Nikhil Gandhi, India Head, TikTok said, "We are excited to have Ashok onboard to lead TikTok’s brand building journey and marketing efforts in India. Ashok's appointment further strengthens our local leadership team, which is committed to ensuring structured growth and providing an exciting and safe in-app experience to our users. With his extensive experience spanning over 20 years, I believe he will add immense value in building our brand salience across stakeholders in the country.”

Commenting on his new role, Ashok A Cherian said, “I am delighted to join TikTok and excited at the opportunity to be a part of this team. TikTok has democratised content creation and redefined the way people create and share short-video content. I look forward to leveraging my past experience in the content and entertainment industry to further build the brand love and bring joy to our users in India."