Unilever Threatens to Pull Ads From Google and Facebook
Brian O'Kelly, CEO and co-founder of AppNexus, discusses Unilever's threat to pull its ads from Google and Facebook. Advertisers are growing increasingly frustrated by seeing their ads show up next to fake news and hate speech.
O'Kelly was in the room when an exec from Unilever made the threat, and O'Kelley says it was met with shock. O'Kelly believes no major brand would ever actually pull out of digital advertising.
O'Kelly explains the problem Google and Facebook currently have is "of their own creation." He adds "if they wanted to fix this, they could."
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.