“We couldn’t care less”: Fed up business owner charges social media influencers double

Has a social media influencer ever rocked up at your business and asked for a free ride in exchange for an Instagram post?

You aren’t the only one. The growing community of social media celebrities love a bit of quid pro quo, but business owners on tight margins aren’t as enthused by the idea.

Fed up with influencers asking for free soft serve, American ice cream truck owner Joe Nicchi has taken matters into his own hands.

Ironically, in an Instagram post which has since gone viral, Nicchi posted a sign informing internet aficionados they’ll have to pay double.

“We couldn’t care less about how many followers you have,” the company said on Instagram.

“We’re super embarrassed for you when you tell us.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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. 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. #InfluencersAreGross

A post shared by CVT Soft Serve (@cvtsoftserve) on Jun 30, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

Nicchi was getting weekly requests for freebies before he made the post, a frustrating reality for anyone trying to make a go of it in Hollywood.

The cones go for $4 usually, but anyone who rocks up asking for a freebie in exchange for exposure will be slogged with an $8 charge.

Originally a customer spotted the sign and posted it to Reddit, but Nicchi has since launched his own social media campaign under the tag #influencersaregross.

“We truly don’t care if you’re an Influencer, or how many followers you have,” Nicchi said.

“We will never give you 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.”

Good idea? Bad? Let us know what you think about dealing with influencers. news@smartcompany.com.au

NOW READ: From $20,000 to $12 million in one year: How Instagram influencers helped this business explode

NOW READ: How Olivia Carr is turning her luxury silk brand Shhh Silk into a $50 million business (with the help of the Kardashians)