Siargao resort bans freeloading influencers

A resort in Siargao, a small island off the coast of Surigao del Norte province in Mindanao that is also known as the surfing capital of the Philippines, has publicly refused to be under the influence of social media influencers.

In a post that received mixed reactions from netizens, White Banana Beach Club Siargao said:

“We are receiving many messages regarding collaborations with influencers, Instagram influencers. We kindly would like to announce that White Banana is not interested [in] ‘collaborating’ with self-proclaimed ‘influencers.’ And we would like to suggest to try another way to eat, drink, or sleep for free. Or try to actually work.”

After the post went viral, the resort owners had to explain that they were not referring to all vloggers and bloggers, particularly those who pay for their accommodation.

Bloggers

In its second post, the resort said: “Good day everyone. Our post went viral.  But we want to clarify that we are not against influencers. Just against freeloaders. A real influencer is called as such by the rest; he does not address him/herself as an influencer. They are bloggers. We have actually collaborated with a few of them, [under] different terms and conditions, and we support them.

“There are real influencers, that in [some] cases, we will contact and pay or [make an] offer [to]. But look, what, they’ve never contacted us … as they don’t need us. We need them.”

Commented Fonzie Palec:  “Coming from someone who does marketing and advertising for a living, I totally agree with you. We never responded to ‘self-proclaimed influencers’ who come to us for x-deals, et al. We do extensive social listening, market intelligence, and we determine reach and engagement per influencer before ‘we reach out to them.’ The use of the word ‘influencer’ has become abused these days.”

‘Formal rejection’

Mary Joyce Vallejos Salvador agreed with the resort’s position: “I understand your point. [That’s why] as much as possible, I refrain from e-mailing brands for collaborations. Because it’s more rewarding if it’s they themselves who recognize your talent.”

Another netizen pointed out that if the offer was made formally, then it deserves a formal rejection.

“If these people formally sent you a message, I think they deserve a formal rejection … I recently tried pitching to resorts and hotels because why not, right? There’s no harm in trying, and if you know that you have something to offer on the table, it’s never a bad thing to try,” posted Jovelyn Mateo. —DJAN MAGBANUA, INQUIRER LIBRE