UPDATE: Faves Asia have unfortunately taken down their unintentionally hilarious video. We’re on the lookout for a mirrored link to the clip.
UPDATE 2: Found it. Watch it below.
UPDATE 3: Faves Asia finally responds to the uproar over their badly executed promo.
Another scourge that’s as vexing as the blight of fake news (though not as pernicious) is Singapore’s legion of superficial social media influencers — a bloated industry of materialistic tryhards who just want to support themselves via vapid videos and pictures.
Local brands and audiences aren’t woke enough yet to realise that influencer marketing is a bullshit industry, but there are tonnes of evidence overseas showcasing how it’s a bubble that’s about to burst any day now.
Why wouldn’t it? Anyone can be a social media influencer. Just be young, clean up well for the camera, employ someone who has access to a DSLR and image editing tools, pander to the lowest common denominator and you too can have a meaningless career as an influencer.
If you want to see everything that is wrong with the local influencer industry, just take a gander at this malignant 217 seconds you’ll never get back, courtesy of social media marketing startup Faves Asia.
Let’s break it down.
Someone is looking sad and feeling jealous that a stranger on the Instagram has a lot of followers and sponsorships. Like chuh, gurl, life and self-worth is nothing without brands using you to shill their stuff.
Jealous girl says she’s been stalking an influencer so long that she even knows her bras and panties (that’s fucking sad bro). Friend responds by asking what about her own bra and panty. We’re not making this up.
Blue Hair emits so much smug, but not big enough to hide her “fentestik” pronunciation. Cue unsubtle overdubbed audio change.
Slideshow moves way too fast — perhaps a fitting commentary of our current generation’s low attention span.
It is two months later, or perhaps a fever dream. Sudden interjection of some incoherent remark (poor editing!) when the food arrives on the table. Scene changes to life of opulence — choosing nails and going to beach parties with the gals. Yay feminism!
Six months later, our jealous girl has upgraded her lifestyle through a Maserati-driving boyfriend and a squad of eager fanboys just waiting on her — which is totally what happens to influencers here. As if the awful acting couldn’t be any worse, they break our expectations. Jealous girl rushes through her line “yaslslerFavesAsiatobringsomuchexposure”. Maserati bro responds gingerly: “Hey… webresmar k”.
Jealous girl networks with her fellow D-tier influencers, clinking champagnes to a life of hollow consumerism.
BONUS: Serial video remixer Daniel Peters re-edited the ad into a tragic nightmare.
