TikTok has agreed to a sweeping US restructuring that creates a majority-American–controlled joint venture, fulfilling bipartisan divestment demands and reducing the threat of an outright ban. Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX will hold 50% ownership, with US-appointed directors overseeing data protection, moderation, and the retraining of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm. ByteDance will retain a minority 19.9% stake and continue managing global operations outside the US. The shift brings long-missing stability for advertisers but also creates operational distance from ByteDance’s global systems, potentially slowing innovation and altering performance patterns. The next year will be a critical recalibration period for brands and creators.

But pharma companies are missing the mark with their digital UX—doctor’s satisfaction ratings are dropping as they use digital to reach pharma more.

Nike is in the "middle innings" of a multiyear turnaround, making tangible progress in rebuilding its wholesale business and reigniting growth in North America, even as deeper challenges persist. Revenues and earnings topped expectations, with wholesale gains helping offset continued declines in Nike Direct and a sharp pullback in Greater China. That progress has come at a cost, however, as promotions and tariff headwinds weighed heavily on margins. With direct-to-consumer sales and China unlikely to rebound quickly, Nike’s recovery will depend on steady execution and patience as it works through lingering structural and demand-related pressures.

Reuters reporting suggests Meta has been unable to contain large-scale fraud in its China ad ecosystem. Despite launching a dedicated crackdown in early 2024 that cut violating ads from 19% to 9% of China revenue, enforcement was later relaxed, allowing misconduct to climb back to 16% by mid-2025. A multilayer reseller network, weak overseas deterrence in China, and partner whitelisting made violations difficult to trace. China advertisers still generated more than $18 billion for Meta in 2024, creating tension between revenue goals and quality controls. The case raises sharp questions about platform accountability and advertiser risk.

Temu’s new Shopify integration lets merchants manage listings, inventory, and fulfillment across more than 30 markets, positioning the platform to broaden its assortment and mitigate the impact of tightening global trade rules and de minimis closures. As governments introduce new barriers and regulators increase scrutiny in the US and EU, Temu is evolving from a low-cost disruptor into a more traditional marketplace. The move highlights how its next phase of growth depends on attracting and retaining sellers, streamlining cross-border operations, and competing on service and trust against established players like Amazon and Walmart.

China’s economic malaise deepened in November. Retail sales rose just 1.3% YoY, well below analysts’ median forecast for 2.8% growth, despite blockbuster Singles Day promotions. Investment and industrial output also fell short of expectations, signaling greater caution from businesses and individuals as they grapple with trade and economic uncertainty. To succeed in this difficult environment, brands will need to localize their marketing and product strategies, be competitive on price, and invest in immersive experiences to draw shoppers in.

Marketing leaders are reallocating spending toward social, prioritizing user engagement, and reducing focus on traditional SEO tactics. The shift reflects marketers’ desire for speed, flexibility, and clear ROI signals. But it also shows the growing need to balance long-term brand building with short-term, engagement-driven wins. Brands should rebalance—not replace—channel mix by defining engagement benchmarks and KPIs that tie directly to brand lift, evaluating influencer impact beyond vanity metrics, and protecting core SEO efforts that support long-term discoverability.

The heat on Temu parent PDD Holdings is growing, at home and abroad. The company is being investigated by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) over reports of fraudulent deliveries, per Bloomberg, while Temu’s Dublin headquarters were raided last week by the EU over concerns that the company breached foreign subsidy rules. PDD is losing goodwill in many of the markets it operates in—including in China, its most important. Employees reportedly got into fistfights with SAMR investigators at the company’s Shanghai offices, leading to multiple arrests. Such confrontations are highly unlikely to endear PDD to the powerful regulator, which has the ability to instigate sweeping probes into the company’s business practices.

Australia has enacted the world’s first nationwide ban on social-media accounts for anyone under 16, forcing platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat to remove underage users or face major penalties. Policymakers and researchers will study the effects on mental health, offline behavior, and migration to unregulated platforms—insights that could influence US policy, where similar proposals are already gaining traction. For advertisers, the implications are significant: removing millions of teen users would constrict future reach curves, shift youth attention toward gaming-adjacent spaces, raise competition for compliant inventory, and complicate early brand-building. Australia’s experiment may foreshadow US market disruption.