New York cookie shop owner shuts down ‘influencer’

• An aspiring influencer reached out to a popular cookie brand with high hopes 
• The owner’s vicious response sparked an online debate about influencer culture 

An aspiring influencer reached out to a popular New York cookie brand in an effort to launch a collaboration ahead of her wedding, but instead was met with a monumental takedown. 

Ana Montealegre, a recent college graduate and ‘beginner influencer,’ emailed Halfsies Cookie Company about including some of the brand’s cookies in her bridal party boxes.

The business’ owner David Maffei directed Montealegre to the brand’s website, where she might place an order.

But the young bride-to-be was interested in pursuing a collaboration with the brand that would mean free cookies provided to her and her bridal party, presumably in exchange for coverage across her social media accounts.

Unfortunately, Montealegre did not appear to realize just how wrong of a tree she was barking up.

Maffei responded to Montealgre’s email describing herself as an influencer, who had ‘collaborated with a few brands,’ by telling her: ‘Sorry, you’re not an influencer.’

In a video montage of the exchange he posted to Halfsies’ official Instagram page, he flamed the bride by highlighting her followings online, which includes TikTok where she boasts 904 followers. 

Standing up for herself, in what was perhaps a misguided effort, Montealegre wrote back: ‘I’m a beginner influencer.’

‘And I’m a beginner astronaut,’ responded Maffei.

Over the video exchange that he uploaded to Instagram, Maffei played the song ‘For Free,’ by DJ Khaled.

If Montealegre responded again after that, the audience was not privy to the exchange.

But, online spectators were able to absorb Maffei’s methodical takedown of a wannabe-influencer and the entitled nature of the pseudo-profession.

‘“Influencer” is a wild label,’ began Dave’s diatribe.

‘Let me tell you how beginner influencers can get started (from a brand’s perspective). You buy the products from the brands that you like and you tag them. They will probably repost you.

‘You’ll pick up some followers and maybe other brands will see what you’re doing and you’ll eventually have an engaged following that’s interested in the products you receive but you just don’t ask in the beginning for free product,’ he lectured,. 

He went on to write that some of the ‘biggest influencers on the Internet’ bought his cookies and advertised them before ever being sent a free sample.

‘I’m a middle aged man with maybe a dozen real friends and a private account and I have more followers than her,’ he concluded.

‘Never in a million years would I think I’m an influencer or even ask for free stuff from a company I don’t follow.’ 

Not everyone online appeared to be completely in sync with Maffei’s brutal approach to combatting young influencers.

Plenty of spectators from the comments section reprimanded his behavior.

‘Why did you post this just to embarrass her? As a brand account no less?’ wrote one account.

Another added: ‘This is rude. She is, in fact, a micro influencer.’

‘Lmao what a way for a business to behave, it’s so easy to just say no,’ wrote a third viewer. 

Other accounts defended the brand’s anti-influencer stance, or were at very least amused by it.

‘Idk why this is in my algorithm but I’m here for it. You really are an astronaut because you blasted her all the way to the moon,’ wrote Haley J Marshall.

‘Haha you definitely got much more business from this post than you would’ve if she made a post on your product,’ wrote another fan of the exchange.

What steadfast followers of the Halfsies Cookie Company account know, that others may not, is that Maffei has all but made a sport out of skewering wannabe social media stars and bachelorette party organizers who make the mistake of expecting something in return for ‘exposure’. 

Instead, Maffei appears to have reached the conclusion that fighting against the freebies trend is as effective a marketing scheme as any, and likely far more effective than dishing out treats to all next season’s brides.