Whether it’s for memes, dance challenges or cute dog videos, we’re all addicted to TikTok for different reasons. But here’s another category on TikTok that always has our heads turning — tea. With how easy it is to spread information, many are creating “exposé TikToks” to spill their personal drama online.
An employee from Gong Cha Singapore didn’t hesitate to turn to TikTok to reveal the truth about working there — dealing with a toxic boss. Much to the shock of members of the public, this exposé was released on Gong Cha’s official TikTok account.
Gong Cha’s TikTok opened with a title called “exposing my toxic boss”, along with a series of red flag emojis and screenshots between the employee and their boss.
The conflict first started when the Gong Cha boss asked them to come to work the next day at 9am, despite the employee explaining that it was their off day.
Every working adult is entitled to a number of days off, so audiences were enraged when the next screenshot showed the boss replying, “that’s not my issue. I need you to work, we are short of staff.”
The tea got even juicier when the toxic boss revealed his true colours, rudely replying, “I am your boss, I tell you jump you jump la”. He even questioned the employee’s lack of “team spirit” as a way to guilt trip them into working.
After a lot of back and forth, the employee finally had enough and threatened to report the boss to their HR and the Ministry of Manpower Singapore. By this point, many of us were rooting for the employee’s justice, and were proud of them for finally standing up against their rude boss.
However, the TikTok ends with a plot twist that no one saw coming — it was just a prank.
The “boss” told the employee to chill and “refresh [their] body and spirit with our osmanthus floral tea”. This apparently solved their “conflict”, where the employee eagerly replied, asking if osmanthus jelly was available as well.
The TikTok has since gained over a whopping 288,000 views on TikTok. Many users complained that they were extremely invested in the story, only to be stunned by the marketing tactic that was only revealed at the end.
One user even claimed that they “were about to fight”, while another said that “you made my blood boil for no reason”. Despite these comments, many praised Gong Cha for this unconventional way of promoting their new drink.
The Gong Cha TikTok went viral just days after another Singaporean shared her story of when her boyfriend cheated on her overseas. In her TikTok video that has gained over 400,000 views, she eventually revealed in the last slide that it was just an advertisement for YouTrip.
It seems like posting a fake exposé has become a new viral trend for companies to promote their products, as many commented that this isn’t the first time they fell for a similar advertisement.
Through this fake exposé, it seems like Gong Cha served us both piping hot tea as well as literal tea on their TikTok account. Thankfully, the whole ordeal was just a prank, but it also serves as a reminder to audiences that we shouldn’t believe in everything that we see online.
Perhaps we can look out for more of such TikToks from other companies too — NGL, even if it was just a prank, we were all hooked on the intense storyline.
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