Reesa Teesa: WTF Is She?
In case you were living under a rock, asleep, or daydreaming at your job last month, you might have missed a woman from Atlanta, USA, Reesa Teesa, breaking the internet. Not Kim Kardashian. Reesa Teesa.
The brand world is confused. 10-minute long TikToks, all gaining over a million views rapidly and counting after posting. An unheard voice, respectfully unheard because in the media and talent world, she most likely wouldn’t have even been recognised as a Mirco influencer. Reesa Teesa, the unheard voice of the year so far, dumps a 50-part series of 10-minute-long videos with over 100 million views and counting on TikTok. Oh no, she did. Breaking all the so-called TikTok cheat codes or rules. The algorithm must be broken, right?
Depending on what you deem as broken, I am not here to go into depth about her jaw-dropping content about her “pathological liar” of an ex-husband, aka “the United Nations of red flags”; there are already so many think pieces that breakdown the phenomenal in detail. I am here to reaffirm the power of storytelling.
One of the biggest social phrases of last year was, “I need to feel something.” In an era where there is a constant fight for our attention. People have been tired, burnt out, and deep in a state of apathy. Being bounced around by world affairs, we are balancing work, life, and inflation, as well as constantly being bombarded and bamboozled by the overload of mind-numbing clickbait content lost in the AI algorithm. Content creators have even expressed their tiredness of the same formulaic routined edits that brands continue to request of how-tos and new ‘core’ trends. Birthing a new trend - the anti-edits, we have seen a rise in “life in narrative” trends, aka long-form content, people openly offloading about their given circumstances from current cultural pain points to personal traumas to just not giving a… sorry excuse my language a ‘fuck’ about what they look like online and essentially no longer trying to be what they never will be. Timely with TikTok announcing that this is the year of ‘creative bravery’ - a “blend of curiosity, imagination, vulnerability and courage” — arguably something Reesa’s series successfully tapped into. Or perhaps long-form content is just making a comeback.
Consuming to connect
Storytelling is nothing new. Storytelling has always been the thread that binds us, weaving tales of shared experiences; it's part of human behaviour, as we all know. But what's ever-evolving is the mediums it resides in that bring these stories to the surface. We have been seeing this trend with podcasts for years, but no one would have thought it would make an appearance on TikTok. But why not? Now, it's becoming our one-stop shop. You can discover and listen to new songs, buy products suggested straight from your favourite creators, or be immersed by your secret passion points like me by cleaning TikTok's and chatting away with loved ones on direct messaging. So why not also enjoy your true crime audio on it while connecting all the dots?
But then again, consuming to connect is not new either. Studies have showcased that we have all been in the loneliness epidemic for a while now, and people have been seeking to build new and meaningful connections. This is more about how TikTok has become a social moment to connect with others, from the shared challenges to people simply watching others in the innate setting of their homes. The vice ‘Drinking Redrafted’ research in 2023 also shared that innate settings help enable connections; 57% of young people globally have said their home will become an even more special place for gatherings/parties/events, with 6 in 10 willing to invest more in their homes (e.g., create their own bar, etc.) to host gatherings/parties/events. This has enabled this Reesa Teesa story to gain much traction due to not only embracing the innate setting of her car, bedroom, and very regular-looking bathroom surroundings but also the commentary and comradery in the comments section.
Beyond the topic of mediums, remember the beauty in the details- making the ordinary extraordinary? Making unreachable accessible? Making the misfortune fortunate? It's the quality of storytelling; it's the human tensions that create cultural tensions. It’s a story of inspiration like the famous power if Nike’s “Just do it story”. Reesa Teesa's bravery, commitment, and transparency to tell her story shamelessly. And the nonconforming action of posting a 50-part 10-minute video series, like, who TF does that? This type of storytelling is shameless not only by technique but by timing, as she posted it on Valentine's Day and cut through the noise of lovey-dovey mundane show-off content. This shameless action is bold and not in the status quo, making it authentic to its core. It is said by the author Brene Brown, “Shame is a fear of disconnection”; thus, to have shame is to disconnect. And this is why I need brands to be shameless, well, intentionally shameless again, purposeful marketing.
Moreover, while being shameless, she had fun with it, using unserious TikTok filters through her narrating such a serious series of unfortunate events while getting on with her day-to-day tasks, because c’est la vie, right? All reflect the juxtaposition of our current society, blending emotions, crises, categories, and content, for example, the growth of Beauty True Crime TikTokers. Are we here, or are we there? And as we know, ‘the two can, in fact, exist’ now more than ever. And as we have seen in gen z’s world, stories aren’t only about consumption; they’re about inhabitation. Youth are becoming characters, walking avatars, and storifying their lives, resulting in a narrative experience that has morphed from a spectator sport to a participatory pilgrimage.
Brands need to celebrate the now and the uncertainty; here are a few ways to do so:
Exit the echo chamber. It's time to exit that chat and avoid being trapped in the trends: Flip the narrative on its head. Discover and embrace all types of talent and celebrate their 'voices' accordingly. Make local heroes out of the people, communities, and other organisations who are already making a positive impact in their space, and champion these incredibly rich and diverse storytelling approaches.
Exposure to extremes: Keep exploring, but don’t just look for what is comfortable; find the tensions to create a solution. Treat new voices as you would other emerging talent and celebrate them in the same ilk. It sometimes looks confusing and opaque on the outside, but there is a new, rich tapestry of emotions, connections, and expressions to be explored. It needs to be given oxygen to breathe and flourish, or your brand could simply get left behind. We are still learning what this new normal looks like; trends are unravelling daily, and it's time to be always on the pulse.
Real, recognise real: It's 2024, and transparency is mandatory. Jump off the bandwagon and get back to reality. What are your core brand messaging and values? Reputation, respect and recognition will all always matter; let's go back to rewarding entrepreneurial, enterprising, or innovative ideas from individuals who want to give a voice to their cause or communities — and use the whole city as their stage. It's time to step out of that medium comfort zone; let's avoid making content for the content sack, research and invest in giving the people what they actually want, and let's avoid giving budget to the same repetitive clickbait; people are most definitely and will always be eager for more. Ultimately, people want more from their worlds and expect no less from brands.
It's time for me to exit the chat now. As the late Steve Jobs would say, “Stay hungry and stay foolish.” It's a new year; let's have new fun together!
