Gym calls out influencer for seeking sponsorship and money

[UPDATE, March 20]:

In response to the furore over Loo's post, Martin has addressed the issue on her Facebook page...» READ MORE

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Another day, another instance of "influenzas" giving influencers a bad name.

In a Facebook post published by Daphne Maia Loo on Monday evening (March 18), she wrote about a lifestyle blogger who approached her about a possible collaboration with her gym.

Wait, scratch that.

According to Loo, the influencer was actually "looking for a free personal trainer who would pay her to get trained".

Although personal details in the post were blurred out by Loo, the photos clearly show the influencer to be Serene Martin.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/daphnemaia/posts/10156721452935709[/embed]

Loo added: "I want to say that as a personal trainer, I am deeply offended that someone would approach a professional whom she believes can do a job well, but refuse to pay for their services.

"As a former social media manager and marketing manager, I am highly amused that this is how low influencers will go to get free products and services from companies."

Attached to the post was a string of photos detailing the email pitch that she received, along with the "social media promotional package" offered.

Martin describes herself as an "international wellness coach, motivational speaker and lifestyle blogger based in Singapore".

She explained that she is preparing for the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Bikini competition and is "looking for a suitable gym with a personal trainer with experience in preparing individuals for such competitions".

In return for a minimum of 36 sponsored sessions, Martin was prepared to promote the gym and the trainer via her social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram (where she has over 30,000 followers) and YouTube; and even publish posts on her blog.

Sounds like a sweet deal right?

It would probably be, if there wasn't a catch - Martin intended to charge $3,000 for the cost of the project.

Loo promptly said "no thanks" to that deal.

"WOW I HAVE TO PAY YOU TOO?" she exclaimed on Facebook.

Loo added: "$3,000 for me to train you for free and I still have to repost your s**t and help you increase views on your social media channels?"

As the personal trainer charges $120 for a single session, Loo calculated that the sponsorship itself would have incurred a monetary loss of at least $4,320; and that did not include the $3,000 fee.

Martin has yet to respond to AsiaOne's request for comment.

After Loo's post circulated on Facebook, commenters were quick to respond to the lifestyle influencer's cheapo ways and even cast doubt on the legitimacy of her followers.

Some were not afraid to even throw some shade.

And it seems that Loo wasn't the only person that Martin had reached out to.

To Loo's point, she wasn't just blindly putting Martin on blast because of her ludicrous offer of paying in-kind via exposure.

She explained: "I'm also deeply concerned, being part of a small gym, a small business made up of three trainers who do our best every single day for our clients.

"I'm also concerned because someone out there is going to read this proposal and feel desperate enough to take it up. Because the fitness industry is tough; it's really tough to survive in it.

"Yet, there are people out there who prey on us, and want us to help them achieve their successes and Instagram moments, by asking us to give our services for free."

In addition to reiterating the fact that "exposure ain't gonna pay the bills", she concluded: "Stop being s**t, folks. Please pay the people whose services you need."

Talk about a mic drop moment.

bryanlim@asiaone.com