Small-business owners are increasingly turning to security footage and public takedowns to counter false claims and freebie demands from social media creators.
The influencer economy, projected by Forbes to reach $250bn, creates friction for merchants operating on narrow profit margins.
Nicole Flanagin, owner of the Brews and Mews cat cafe in Lenoir, North Carolina, woke up to a message about a viral TikTok video at 1:37 a.m. on a March morning, The Guardian reported. A local influencer with more than 170,000 followers claimed staff coldly stared at her crying child after denying entry.
Flanagin checked security camera footage and found a visit lasting under 40 seconds with no visible tantrum. She posted the CCTV video, which received more than 640,000 views, prompting the creator to delete her review and post an apology.
“Why is your opinion any more valid or important than mine or somebody else’s?” Flanagin told The Guardian. “I don’t regret defending myself.”
The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media Promotion
While many entrepreneurs rely on creators to drive sales, disputes over unpaid bills and gifted goods continue to mount. Lucy Herron, founder of the British shoe-wear brand Sloafer, said that a single post can sell 50 pairs of shoes in 24 hours.
However, Herron described receiving reluctance from a reality TV star asked to thank the brand for a gifted pair of £225 ballerina trainers.
“I’m trying to run a profitable business, and it’s bloody hard enough without someone taking the piss,” Herron told The Guardian. Similar tensions led baker Reshmi Bennett to call out television personality Binky Felstead after receiving a request for a free birthday cake for her son.
Establishments implement bans and restrictions to curb disruptive behavior
Establishments are increasingly implementing bans and filming restrictions to curb disruptive behavior. London’s Borough Market instituted rules requiring filming permits for crews larger than two people following incidents involving food vloggers.
David Maffei, founder of the Halfsies cookie company in New York, frequently highlights automated collaboration requests on Instagram. Anastasia Powers, a luxury balloon artist in Essex, receives up to 10 freebie requests a month from accounts seeking gratis displays.
“Collaborations don’t pay for my petrol, my lights, my stock,” Powers told The Guardian. “They don’t put food on my table.”
Why merchants use CCTV and how markets respond to filming
Why do small-business owners use CCTV to respond to influencers?
Merchants use time-stamped surveillance footage to verify or refute online claims made by creators with large followings, protecting their reputation from potential revenue loss.
What steps are markets taking against unregulated filming?
Venues like Borough Market in London now require creators filming with professional-grade equipment or crews larger than two people to obtain prior clearance and carry permits.
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