A would-be influencer has faced a barrage of ‘rude’ messages after her attempt to ‘expose’ a restaurant for rejecting her unsolicited marketing proposal backfired. Melbourne-based Jamieson May, who brands herself as a ‘travel, lifestyle, fashion, and food creator,’ posted an almost three-minute rant last month about the vegetarian restaurant Patsy’s, located in the CBD.
In her TikTok video, addressed to her 9,000 followers, Ms. May shared her disappointment: “I received the most horrible message yesterday from a restaurant [after] wanting to work with them, and I need to make you aware so you guys never work with them and know your standards.”
Ms. May had sent a message to Patsy’s on Instagram, asking if the restaurant’s owners would collaborate with her to create marketing content. However, she was taken aback by the restaurant’s blunt response.
“You don’t seem to have any followers, maybe you should approach us when you have over 100k,” the restaurant’s account replied.
The incident, which was first shared by the Facebook page Subtle Bogan Hints, quickly went viral online, attracting a mix of reactions from the public. Some users made light of the situation, while others criticized both the restaurant’s response and Ms. May’s approach.
Comments ranged from sarcastic remarks like, “So that’s where the flavor comes from…” and “Bet the mop head is warmer than the fries,” to more critical ones. One user quipped, “The old McMop is back! Must be limited time-only – get in while they are hot,” while another added, “That’s the most brainless thing I’ve seen this year. This woman needs her hygiene and food safety procedure certificate ripped up!”
The backlash also included accusations of McDonald’s restaurants being ‘filthy,’ with one commenter stating, “They used to pride themselves on having a clean business, but that seems to have changed.”
In response, a spokesperson for McDonald’s emphasized that the company takes food safety ‘extremely seriously’ and adheres to strict cleaning and hygiene procedures in all its restaurants. “We have addressed this with the restaurant directly and conducted thorough re-training for all employees on McDonald’s sanitisation, hygiene, and food safety procedures,” the spokesperson said. “This was an isolated incident, and we will continue to work with the restaurant to ensure this does not happen again.”
Meanwhile, Ms. May’s attempt to rally her followers against the restaurant seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead of garnering support, she was inundated with ‘rude’ messages criticizing her for her approach and for attempting to leverage her relatively modest social media following for free services.
The episode highlights the challenges and pitfalls faced by aspiring influencers in a highly competitive social media landscape. It also underscores the importance of establishing a substantial and engaged follower base before approaching businesses for collaborations. For Ms. May, the incident has been a harsh lesson in the realities of influencer marketing, where follower counts and engagement rates can significantly impact the success of such endeavors.
As the story continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Ms. May will be able to turn this experience into a learning opportunity and grow her influence in a more constructive and impactful manner.