In today’s news, a self-proclaimed influencer has found herself in hot water after attempting to “expose” a restaurant for rejecting her unsolicited marketing proposal.
Jamieson May, who fashions herself as a “travel, lifestyle, fashion, and food creator,” recently took to social media to air her grievances about Melbourne’s vegetarian restaurant, Patsy’s.
May’s nearly three-minute rant, posted on TikTok and Instagram, recounts her interaction with Patsy’s as she asked the restaurant to collaborate on marketing content. To her shock and dismay, Patsy’s responded with a blunt message, essentially telling May to come back when she has over 100,000 followers.
Despite her nearly 17,000 Instagram followers, May was “gobsmacked” by the restaurant’s response, calling it “disgusting” and claiming that they must not understand marketing. However, her attempt to shame the restaurant backfired when she was flooded with criticism and rude comments, causing her to turn off the comments section on her Instagram post.
To add further insult to injury, Patsy’s owners, Mathew Guthrie and Clinton Trevisi, defended their response, stating that May’s follower profile did not align with their target market. They even went so far as to suggest that May’s attention-grabbing tactic was a ploy for more visibility, but questioned how it could be monetized as marketing.
Honestly…she, Jamieson May, is the reason why society starting to despise “influencers”….some of the most narcissistic ego maniacs on the planet. I don’t know where this one got her confidence & entitlement. Under 20k yet acts like she’s Mr. Beast.😝 https://t.co/m5diSXtuk7
— REVELATION (@nunyabizness555) May 21, 2024
In an attempt to save face, May has argued that she was not looking for a “free service” but rather had an issue with Patsy’s customer service. She also claimed to be standing up for smaller content creators who don’t get the recognition they deserve.
Despite her claims, the majority of the backlash has been aimed at May, with many accusing her of being entitled and only seeking “free stuff.” Even her fellow content creators have sided with Patsy’s, understanding the ins and outs of the marketing world.
“When I first outed the restaurant on TikTok, it reached the wrong audience of non-creators and influencers who didn’t understand what was happening,” May said.
“People sent extremely rude comments that I am just an entitled influencer who just wants “free” stuff and I am complaining about it all.”
@jamiesonmayyy I just can’t believe that someone else in the professional industry of marketing and having there own business would say this to another human being ❤️🩹 Your follower count does not define you! You might have 10x better content then someone with 1 million followers!! I wanted to create this video to let all other content creators know that this is extremely unprofessional and disgusting. – #melbournerestaurants #melbournerestaurant #contentcreator #melbournefood #exposingthetruth #exposingfooditem #exposingrestaurants #contentcreatortips ♬ original sound – jamieson may 🧚🏼
It seems that this wannabe influencer’s attempt at “exposing” Patsy’s has only exposed her own naivety and lack of understanding of how the industry works. Hopefully, this serves as a lesson for others looking to exploit small businesses for their own gain. As for May, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate her approach to content creation and learn to take rejection with grace and maturity.
