Let them eat cake - but they must pay for it.

[Pale Rider]

A bakery is in the news after its owner refused a request for freebies.

The owner decided to publish the request from a PR company to cater for an actress's birthday party in exchange for publicity.

My first thought is that a few gateaux is fairly low rent as freebies go, which is not a reason for the bakery to go along with it.

I suppose the owner didn't have to publicise the request, but the old maxim applies - don't tap anything into an email which you are not prepared to see on the front page of a newspaper.

The resulting tit-for-tat row is amusing, particularly the PR company's attempts to claim they've been 'misunderstood'.

Better to cough the job and move on in my view.

I can't help but be reminded of that cake case in Ireland, although in this one the bakery owner simply refused to supply the cakes free, so no-one has got as far as discussing what legend should be iced on top.

Perhaps 'Happy birthday, and next time pay for your own ruddy cake, tightwad'.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-66383812

 

[BoldonLad]

A storm in a cupcake.

Who cares?

Is there no "real" news to report?

 

[Pale Rider]

A storm in a cupcake.

Who cares?

Is there no "real" news to report?

Trivial in isolation, but it does allude to a wider topic of businesses increasingly being asked for freebies by social media influencers and the like.

The bakery woman is getting hacked off with the requests, and she reckons lots of small businesses are in a similar position.

By the same token, some businesses seem keen to give stuff away, so they must think it works from a marketing perspective.

 

[AuroraSaab]

It's pretty common apparently. There's a guy who will write bespoke wedding songs who put all his freebie requests on his social media, including the person who wanted him to fly to Italy at his own expense to perform his free bespoke song at the ceremony.

Big companies can afford to do freebies for publicity but lots of small businesses run on tight margins so it's good to expose this kind of cheeky demand rather than normalise it.

 

[Pale Rider]

I've been watching a rather jolly newish Youtube cycling channel called Amy Cycling Adventures.

Amy says she's been truly gobsmacked by the amount of stuff she's been given, even though the vids only get a few thousand views.

So far she's had multi-day trips to the Tour and Giro thanks to Santini, some wheels, some cycling shoes, sponsorship from Exposure lights, and sponsorship from a cycling energy bar company.

There's probably more I've forgotten, oh yes, cycling glasses is another one.

I get the impression she hasn't asked for hardly any of this stuff, it's all been offered..

Goodness knows what those channels with hundreds of thousands or millions of views can get.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Goodness knows what those channels with hundreds of thousands or millions of views can get.

I think many 'influencers' get a handsome living....

 

[matticus]

I've been watching a rather jolly newish Youtube cycling channel called Amy Cycling Adventures.

Amy says she's been truly gobsmacked by the amount of stuff she's been given, even though the vids only get a few thousand views.

So far she's had multi-day trips to the Tour and Giro thanks to Santini, some wheels, some cycling shoes, sponsorship from Exposure lights, and sponsorship from a cycling energy bar company.

I used to see quite a few of these ... people ... and the ratio of makeup, fake tan, cleavage etc to content/charm was high.
Quick look at this one, and I'm immediately won over by her riding this years (rather wet??) Mersey Roads 24HTT. That's PROPER cycling!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph3k_z4TSLA

@ianh - do you know if she's wearing a borrowed PBP Gilet? She looks too young to have ridden in 2019 or earlier!

 

[Pale Rider]

if she's wearing a borrowed PBP Gilet? She looks too young to have ridden in 2019 or earlier!

Amy has posted that she and her husband are doing PBP this year.

Both have qualified, which is just as well as the event is due off in the next few weeks.

 

[matticus]

View:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph3k_z4TSLA

Spoiler: helmet content

Interesting that CTT brought in mandatory helmets last year, but selfie-filming is fine!

 

[BoldonLad]

Trivial in isolation, but it does allude to a wider topic of businesses increasingly being asked for freebies by social media influencers and the like.

The bakery woman is getting hacked off with the requests, and she reckons lots of small businesses are in a similar position.

By the same token, some businesses seem keen to give stuff away, so they must think it works from a marketing perspective.

Intentional or not, the bakery certainly got lots of free publicity, even I know about it now, although, unless they do online shopping, I am unlikely to buy anything as a result.

 

[Cirrus]

Intentional or not, the bakery certainly got lots of free publicity, even I know about it now, although, unless they do online shopping, I am unlikely to buy anything as a result.

Out PR’d the PR company

 

[All uphill]

It's nothing new, of course.

Nearly 40 years ago I was involved in a catering business in London. The lackey of a fairly senior royal called saying xxx and 11 friends would like to dine with us.

He specified the date and time and said what food and wine they wanted. I demurred saying those food and drink items were not on our menu. End of conversation. An hour later our CEO called me saying he had agreed we would do it all at no charge.

I still don't know what he got out of it.

 

[Unkraut]

A knighthood?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

It’s common across all of the creative fields; photography, web design, music, graphic design etc.

These are often lone traders or low-staffed and can’t possibly afford to devote time, materials and effort for intangible benefits or ’public exposure’. People who make these demands are cheapskates and should be very publicly outed at every opportunity.

I was so glad to see this story had made the national news, embarrassing the PR company.

 

[Ian H]

I used to see quite a few of these ... people ... and the ratio of makeup, fake tan, cleavage etc to content/charm was high.
Quick look at this one, and I'm immediately won over by her riding this years (rather wet??) Mersey Roads 24HTT. That's PROPER cycling!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph3k_z4TSLA

@ianh - do you know if she's wearing a borrowed PBP Gilet? She looks too young to have ridden in 2019 or earlier!

I think Jim Hopper lent it for the wet. He can be seen and heard saying 'that's enough chatting, get on with it'. He also lent his trike to another young woman, who rode without a phone in her hand. It was utterly filthy weather.