What a Runaway Zebra in Tennessee Can Teach You About Authentic Social Media

Kristi Buckner
Jun 11
2 min read

Last week, a zebra named Ed pulled off the great escape in Tennessee—bolting from a trailer, sprinting through backyards and highways, dodging helicopters, and captivating the internet in real time.

At the exact same moment, social media lit up with grainy iPhone videos of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dancing at a wedding in Tennessee—no press release, no performance, just two people being people.

So… what do a loose zebra and America’s favorite power couple have in common?

They weren’t trying to go viral. They were just real.

And that’s exactly what makes them powerful examples of what your brand is probably missing right now.

Authentic social media wins. Every time.

Here’s what Ed the zebra and Taylor’s two-step can teach you about social media in 2025:

1. People Crave What’s Real—Not What’s Polished

A zebra weaving through traffic wasn’t part of a content calendar. But it broke the internet.

Why? Because people are starving for content that feels unscripted. We’ve been over-fed generic tips, branded posts, and Canva templates with no pulse. What we remember are the moments that feel honest—even chaotic.

The same is true for that wedding video. It wasn’t some perfectly-lit concert stage—it was blurry, close-up, human. And it connected.

If your brand never shows its real side, it’ll never build real trust.

2. The Unexpected and Authentic Social Media Always Outperforms the Overplanned

Yes, strategy matters. But too many businesses are hiding behind their content calendars instead of using them as launchpads for real-time moments.

→ A team celebration

→ A quick story from your day

→ A behind-the-scenes mistake or insight

These are the things your audience actually feels.

3. Spontaneity and Strategy Aren’t Opposites

Here’s the mindset shift: you don’t have to choose between being “on brand” and being human.

The best content plans leave room for the unexpected. Here’s how to start:

Assign someone on your team to capture 1 raw moment per week.
Give your audience a peek behind the scenes—even if it’s messy.
Use Stories, Reels, or even email to highlight moments that aren’t filtered through five rounds of revisions.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real.

4. People Follow People—Not Logos

Let this sink in: your audience doesn’t care about your logo. Your audience is craving an authentic social media presence.

They care about what you stand for, how you make them feel, and whether they’d want to grab a coffee with you. It happens when you show up—with a face, a voice, a moment of truth.

So give them that. And do it consistently.