We’re not starting a cult but some followers on Instagram would be nice. Thank you.
These days, barter trades between budding content creators and businesses are the norm.
As an ideally symbiotic relationship, a content creator would be gifted food, products, or services in exchange for a review or shout-out on their platforms.
Cautionary tale
One eatery in Singapore, however, shared his cautionary tale of making such a trade with a TikToker.
In a Facebook post from May 27, Chiangmai Thai Kitchen shared their experience interacting with TikToker, Marcus Lo.
According to the post, Marcus had approached them via Instagram on April 2 to collaborate for a food media tasting.
Photo from Chiangmai Thai Kitchen.
In his message, Marcus also mentioned that he has over 23,000 followers on TikTok and 2,300 followers on Instagram.
The content creator also offered two to three Instagram stories and a video on TikTok if the eatery was willing to collaborate.
Offered S$100 meal credits
Chiangmai Thai Kitchen agreed and gave him S$100 meal credits in exchange for three to five Instagram stories and one TikTok video.
Photo from Chiangmai Thai Kitchen.
Marcus agreed and headed to their Ang Mo Kio outlet on April 29.
However, according to the eatery, he “went MIA (missing in action)” after the free meal.
Despite their constant messages and follow-ups since May 19, Chiangmai Thai Kitchen didn’t receive a response from Marcus.
Photo from Chiangmai Thai Kitchen
In the post, they said: “Market are (sic) bad now… S$100 of food we might as well give to those who really need… We are sorry that we thought we could gain some exposure thru (sic) him also.”
In an update to the post on May 28, they clarified that Marcus has contacted them and has since posted a TikTok on the eatery.
@marcuslo Visit this place for authentic thai food at a super cheap and affordable price! 🤩💯 [IN HOUSE DELIVERY] https://cmtk.co-enterprise.com.sg *Min order $50 for free islandwide delivery #fyp #foryoupage #fyp #sgtiktok #xyzbca #sg #singapore #sgexplore #explorepage #wheretoeat #whattoeat #sgfoodie #thaifoodlover #sgfoodhunt ♬ girls like me don’t cry (sped up) – thuy
As of the time of writing, the TikTok has about 17,600 views and is one of his most viewed videos.
TikToker apologises
In the comment section, Marcus made a public apology and claimed that he had “honestly missed” the messages they sent him.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and have since then sent them the promotional video and even contacted them to repay back the $100 due to my lack of responsibility in not checking my DMs.”
Screenshot from Marcus Lo.
While he said that he felt “very horrible” for his mistake, the eatery believes that he only responded because the Facebook post went viral.
Photo from Chiangmai Thai Kitchen.
Photo from Chiangmai Thai Kitchen.
Top image from Chaingmai Thai Kitchen
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