Sofia Hernandez (TikTok) | The Future of Marketing Belongs to the Curious

About this episode

Sofia Hernandez discusses the rapid evolution of marketing in the age of TikTok and the importance of cultural connection for CMOs.

If culture moves at the speed of TikTok, then today’s CMO has to move just as fast.  This week, Jim is joined by Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing and Commercial Partnerships at TikTok. Since launching in the U.S. in 2018, TikTok has reshaped culture, content, and marketing. And its mission, to inspire creativity and bring joy, has fueled extraordinary growth, even as the company has navigated controversy and major shifts, including the recent acquisition of TikTok U.S. by a consortium of investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. The platform now reaches more than one billion users globally and has grown into a multi-billion-dollar advertising business, generating an estimated $33 billion in ad revenue in 2025. Sofia has spent the past six years helping build TikTok’s business during one of the most dynamic growth periods in tech. In her role, she helps brands around the world show up effectively on one of the most culturally influential platforms in the world. Before TikTok, Sofia served as Chief Client Officer at the consumer insights platform Suzy and began her career in advertising at Publicis, later spending five years at BBDO. An activist at…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Stengel

Guest: Sofia Hernandez

Topics covered

• marketing
• TikTok
• business growth
• cultural influence
• inclusion in tech
• advertising

Keywords

• TikTok
• marketing
• business partnerships
• cultural influence
• advertising revenue
• inclusion
• CMO

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TikTok, Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX, Suzy, Publicis, BBDO

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