Following a global backlash, L’Oréal Blackett asks whether influencers are just freeloaders in disguise
It all kicked off on Twitter, Youtuber v hotelier, makeup brushes v kitchen knives (bets were always on the latter). There’s been a tearful video confession, digital mud-slinging and widespread accusations of bullying. The national media got involved. Someone probably created a hashtag.
So what actually happened?
In what has become a viral story, Elle Darby, a young Youtuber with more than 100k subscribers, approached Dublin’s Charleville Lodge and White Moose Café offering free 'exposure' in exchange for a free stay.
However, hotel owner Paul Stenson – who has previously shunned the gluten intolerant, hipsters, breastfeeding women and allegedly threatened to shoot vegans ‘at point blank range’ – wasn’t impressed with the request, swiftly adding Darby to his lengthy shit list.
Taking to social media, Stenson publicly responded to Darby’s email.
He wrote: ‘Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure. It takes a lot of balls to send an email like that, if not much self-respect and dignity.’
‘If I let you stay here in return for a feature in a video, who is going to pay the staff who look after you?
‘…Maybe I should tell my staff they will be featured in your video in lieu of receiving payment for work carried out while you’re in residence?’
He continues: ‘In future, I’d advise you to offer to pay your way like everyone else...This would show more self-respect on your part and, let’s face it, it would be less embarrassing for you.’
'The Dalai Lama may be considered influential in spiritual circles, but he couldn’t help flog a new Fendi purse'
The spat divided the Internet; mostly between those with recognised ‘influence’ and those who couldn’t influence a camel to drink water. For everyone else it left questions: should you expect to eat for free just because you have a large social media following? Do restaurants really need influencers to survive? Who are these influencers anyway?
The answers are relatively simple. After all, the Dalai Lama may be considered influential in spiritual circles, but he couldn’t help flog a new Fendi purse.
Whether it’s Kim Kardashian promoting ‘Flat Tummy Tea’ (with laxative effects) or Geordie Shore cast members peddling hair extensions, 'influencers' (predominantly women) are now the people responsible for making things trend.
We have them to blame for the popularity of avocado toast (and the future devastation of the rainforest), for those ugly £400 Gucci loafers, and for really complicated makeup routines.
They have become a marketers most useful (and lucrative) weapon, and like it or not, they are here to stay.
"The unspoken agreement is that you get free food as long as you do the work and promote the business."
In the digital world, where ‘followers’ are considered currency and influence measured in ‘likes’, an influencer receiving free stays or a complimentary meal is par-for-the-course (they just don’t like to tell you that).
Here in Manchester there is a co-dependent relationship between influencers and restaurants – a relationship prone to volatility.
Fress, a recently opened Northern Quarter restaurant, is an Instagrammer’s dream, with white tiled floors, great selfie lighting and good-looking food. They have found influencers to be both a blessing and a burden.
“For us it is all about consistency,” says Fress co-owner Jen Hargreaves, “we love influencers to come down if it matches what they would ordinarily post on their social media.
"For us, our favourite influencers are not always the ones that have the most followers, it’s the ones who truly love what we do and they love shouting about how great we are. It helps reiterate the message we are trying to send to our customers.”
It sounds like a good deal – so are Fress happy to accept ‘exposure’ as currency?
“Marketing and PR is a cost of any business, so we were always prepared to give away free food for exposure,” they told us. “The unspoken agreement is that you get free food as long as you do the work and promote the business.”
"I hate being tarred with the same brush as influencers who are considered ‘entitled'"
In 2018, businesses need social media more than anyone could ever have predicted – there are more than 800 million people active on Instagram alone. It’d be naïve for any business to believe they could survive purely by word-of-mouth. Considering everyone and their Nan is self-promoting and postulating about how great they are on the internet, a good influencer can help businesses cut through the noise.
And besides, isn't the process just a straightforward business transaction, a service (exposure) in return for payment (food, drink, free jeans, whatever)?
Popular Manchester fashion blogger, Samio Olowu, thinks so.
"She [Darby] was simply offering a service for goods like any other business – and it is a legitimate business, even though it is a relatively new one,” says Olowu, who has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram and an active Youtube and blog following.
“She had a right to ask. It’s like back in the day when sales people would go knocking door-to-door. You’d get a few doors slammed in your face before you make a sale. Even if he doesn’t require that service, he should still acknowledge the value in it. He should have simply declined politely.”
“They get quality content and I feel like they are getting a genuine advertisement.”
It seems bloggers and influencers face a daily battle to prove their worth to old hats who consider social media as a pointless exercise for millennial types who put ball pits in their offices and say funny words like ‘BitCoin’. But what is the real value of an influencer, and should we lump them all in together?
“There’s a huge difference between types of influencers," says Olowu, "there’s bloggers, there’s Youtubers and there’s Instagrammers, they can become celebrities, or reality stars."
“I hate being tarred with the same brush as influencers who are considered ‘entitled’,” she continues. “My relationship with my readers is important and I feel I have a duty to tell them the truth, especially if they are spending cash.
"People do trust bloggers and we have spent time building a rapport with our audience – even more so than celebrities. So it’s important to have integrity."
So what do restaurants really gain for the price of a free meal?
“They get quality content and I feel like they are getting a genuine advertisement.”
What about the global publicity his businesses have enjoyed following her request...
In a generation that has produced Zoella (now a recognised Youtube millionaire), an influencer’s exposure is not just worth a free meal, it’s worth a fortune. An Instagram post by an individual with more than 100k followers can cost advertisers a few grand. And it's worth it. According to recent US data analysis, almost 40% of people purchased a product online after seeing an Influencer use it on social media. That’s pretty damn influential.
Still, it’s reasonable to remain wary of influencers and a culture that creates entitlement and celebrity from nothing. There's a whole lot of ego on the Internet, and sometimes it can all feel very Black Mirror.
But the relationship can also be two-fold. Stenson may have sent Darby a (fake) bill for £4.6m worth of free publicity, but what about the global publicity his businesses have enjoyed following her request. Is creating a scandal, dishing out insults and promoting controversy to promote oneself really more dignified than asking for a freebie?
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