TikTok's marketing head says that brands need to create specific ads for the app

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for August 21. I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at ljohnson@businessinsider.com

A final reminder that August 24 is the deadline to nominate people to Business Insider's list of chief marketing officers to watch in 2020. Submit your nominations here.

Today's news: TikTok's marketing head says that the app isn't just for teens, former MoviePass marketing manager files a complaint against two execs and a consultant, and a fashion influencer finds new business through CBD.

TikTok's new marketing head reveals why the app isn't just for teens, and how he's leveraging its popularity to attract brands like Airbnb

• Tanya Dua spoke with Nick Tran, head of global marketing of TikTok, about the popular app's appeal as it faces a possible national ban if it doesn't sell its US operation.
• He said that TikTok requires advertisers to create specific creative that they aren't running elsewhere.
• "I don't see TikTok as being an app for a specific demo or segment or psychographic," Tran said of the app's users. "I've seen grandmas do fun dances, people coming together as a family to do engaging challenges, and content from cooking advice to personal finance tips to fashion tips."

Read the full interview here.

A former MoviePass marketing director is suing 2 top execs and a consultant at the defunct startup, alleging 'unlawful gender discrimination and sexual harassment'

• Jason Guerrasio reports that former MoviePass marketing director Madison Geery has filed a complaint in New York that alleges "unlawful gender discrimination and sexual harassment" by former MoviePass consultant Bob Ellis.
• Geery's complaint alleges that Ellis "sexually harassed multiple female staff members, including Geery" during a weekend at Coachella in April 2018.
• The complaint also alleges Ellis' conduct was "condoned and aided and abetted" by Mitch Lowe and Ted Farnsworth, the former CEOs of MoviePass and its parent company, respectively.

Read the full story here.

A fashion Instagram influencer says launching her own CBD brand was her 'saving grace financially' as brand deals crashed during the pandemic

• Similar to other influencers, brand deals for fashion influencer Courtney Trop's dried up during the pandemic.
• She told Sydney Bradley how launching her own CBD brand called Hi Stevie became her "financial saving grace" and now makes up 50% of her revenue.
• Hi Stevie recently struck a partnership deal with fashion brand DanCassab to send the CBD products to the fashion brand's customers and influencers as a part of its gifting campaign this fall.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• Facebook quietly created a new team, Network.AI, to turbo-charge its data centers with new AI infrastructure (Business Insider)
• Walmart tech salaries revealed: How much the big-box retailer pays its tech workers, from software developers to managers (Business Insider)
• Snap's former content chief joins Google (The Information)
• Writers mutiny at 'All Rise,' the rare CBS show with a Black female lead (New York Times)
• Joe Hogan gains oversight of Xandr media sales in interim WarnerMedia move (Variety)

Thanks for reading and see you on Monday! You can reach me in the meantime at ljohnson@businessinsider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.

— Lauren