A boss has been criticized for appearing to criticize a social media manager for “doing nothing” at work – but all is not as it seems.
Kate Ritchie, from Brisbane, was seen trying out a new TikTok filter for a video on the Funday Natural Sweets account.
However, as part of a cheeky new marketing campaign, the brand’s founder, Daniel Kitay, made a few “annoying” comments claiming she’d been limp all morning and should be expecting a performance meeting the next day.
A video capturing the conversation between the two shows Katie looking puzzled as Daniel scolds her in the background for making unsuccessful marketing videos.
While many were quick to call the boss’s behavior a “red flag,” others were convinced the skit is “fake” and “staged.”
And Funday confirmed to FEMAIL that the cheeky video was indeed a hoax created to make the company “viral.”
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Kate Ritchie tried out a new TikTok filter for a video on the Funday Natural Sweets account. However, when brand founder Daniel Kitay walked by, he made some nasty remarks claiming she had been limp all morning
A viral video captured the conversation, and while many were quick to call the boss’s behavior a “red flag,” others were convinced the skit is “fake” and “staged.”
At first, Kate seems to enjoy trying out the new filter before her facial expression completely changes.
Daniel asks, ‘Kate what are you doing? It’s 12 o’clock, I literally didn’t see you do anything. What have you been doing?’
She quietly responds by saying “inquiry” before Daniel starts again.
“We have a very limited budget [and] limited resources. Everyone who comes in has to do their best or there’s no point in having you around. Did any of the videos you posted go viral?’ he said – and few videos have reached 10,000 views.
“We have a board meeting tomorrow, we’re going to discuss your performance, and in the meantime it would be really helpful if you could get your s*** together and make a video that went viral.
“At least I could go to the board and say you did something, because right now it sucks.”
Kate, co-owner of quirky jewelery company Brass & Bone, has a proven repertoire when it comes to going viral on social media and has over 193,000 TikTok followers.
Funday Natural Lollipops offering healthier versions of popular lollipops, with no added sugar and a whole bag contains 107 calories.
Kate Ritchie, co-owner of quirky jewelery company Brass & Bone, has a proven repertoire when it comes to going viral on social media and has over 193,000 TikTok followers
In a follow-up video, the two sit down together to discuss their marketing strategy and the clip is also full of satire
In six days, the video was viewed more than 1.7 million times and opinions were divided.
‘Kate is the best employee and you can’t tell me otherwise! give her a promotion!’ one wrote.
“Red flag – you don’t have to put up with him!” another added, a third said, “Dan needs to watch out before we grab our pitchforks and come get him.”
However, others speculated that the conversation was not real.
“Smart marketing,” one commented, another added, “So staged.”
“I feel like this is set up to go viral,” a third wrote.
‘This is a skit. But it really creeps me out that most people think he’s wrong here. It says a lot,’ said another.
Funday Natural Lollies offer healthier versions of popular candies
Daniel Kitay told FEMAIL, “At FUNDAY, we thrive on diversity and innovation, constantly adapting our marketing approaches to authentically connect with our target audience.
“We love how this video, made with satirical intent by our epic FUNDAY Content Creator Kate, has sparked a global dialogue about new age marketing techniques like TikTok.
“It’s fascinating to see how it resonates with diverse audiences, showing the different perspectives and opinions that shape our evolving business landscape.
“We love to have FUN here at FUNDAY Sweets HQ and our TikTok is one way we bring that to life by sharing everything from behind the scenes to satire sketches.”