Ice Cream Man Has the Perfect Comeback When Social Media Influencers Beg for Free Soft-Serve
I don’t think that anyone would doubt that the internet is an amazing creation. It allows the dissemination of information that once would’ve simply vanished into the proverbial void.
I mean, the fact that you’re reading this article on either a computer or a mobile device pretty much proves it.
However, there’s at least one online phenomenon that has become truly irksome: the rise of the social media influencer.
One food truck owner in Los Angeles, California, got so irked with influencers that he instituted an official policy designed to shoo them away.
According to Fox News, Joe Nicchi of CVT Soft Serve became incredibly irritated with requests for free product from influencers who would email him or simply show up to his ice cream truck.
If you’re not aware, a social media influencer is someone who amasses a bunch of followers on Instagram or Twitter or another online venue. Typically, their accounts center around a specific interest or activity, such as fashion or fitness or food.
You can figure out how the shtick works from there. If an influencer features a particular product or local business on his or her account, untold numbers of new clients just might flock to it — in theory.
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In practice, though, influencer solicitations often seem like a request for free stuff. Sometimes business owners don’t see anything from such efforts — other than a big hit to their bottom line.
For Nicchi’s part, though, he doubts if many of the so-called influencers are even playing fair. In this age of social media manipulation, he said he doubted that they could influence anyone except themselves.
“Anyone can buy a following, anyone can buy likes and comments. I know people who have done it, and it’s crazy,” Nicchi told Vice.
“So why do these people hold weight? If you or I tomorrow can have 50,000 followers by paying $20 to a social media bot company, it doesn’t make sense to me.”
The final straw came when Nicchi received a request to cater a 300-person event for an influencer. The person explained Nicchi would get paid — in exposure, that is.
“I can’t do that,” he said. “I can’t work for free.”
So Nicchi decided to make an official policy that left influencers without a shred of doubt as to where he and his business stood on the matter. He made a sign that read, “Influencers pay double.”
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“We’ve decided to make this thing official with signage. We truly don’t care if you’re an Influencer, or how many followers you have,” he stated.
“We will never give you a free ice cream in exchange for a post on your social media page. It’s literally a $4 item …well now it’s $8 for you.”
It’s not like Nicchi, who has run his food truck for five years, is hurting for business. He has catered events for the likes of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.
“I don’t really focus on anything but the product,” Nicchi said. “I think if our ice cream is great, that the rest will hopefully fall into place via word of mouth and through reputable journalists.”
He added, “Let’s make hard work ‘huge right now.’ Let’s make not asking people to work for free ‘huge right now.'”
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