If you’re active on social media and follow those who are known to be KOLs (key opinion leaders) or influencers, you’ll often see them receiving products from brands or posting pictures and videos of places to promote the items to their (often) massive following. In this day and age, it seems to be the easiest and fastest way to get people to know that you and your brand exist. A lot of the time, the KOLs and influencers who receive these items will leave (generally) positive reviews.
However, this particular influencer decided to go against that promotional norm, with an – almost brutally – honest review of a much-hyped coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur. TikTok user @ceddyornot uploaded a 45-second video in which he details his experience with the coffee from the said shop. The tweet was then shared by Twitter user @ribka_, who applauded @ceddyornot for not sugar-coating his experience.
Semoga makin banyak inflUencEr jujur kek gini pic.twitter.com/McAehtRAp8
— ribka (@ribka_tweet) April 22, 2021
He starts off addressing the line to purchase a cup of coffee, questioning the hype. When he then asks his influencer friend how much her drink costs (she answers “RM28”) and they both share their shock. His friend reacts:
“My heart also come out already,”
He continued, making a point to call out the fact that certain shops are able to capitalise on the hype.
“She said it doesn’t taste good, but amoi can take hipster shots. This is why shops that sell mediocre coffee can survive.”
He then purchases his own cup of coffee, sharing his hope that he will like it. Unfortunately, he is disappointed.
“Maybe my taste bud is dead but this one doesn’t even have strong coffee taste. 3 in 1 also tastes better.”
He concludes the video by asking his followers to stop suggesting the shop for reviews.
Now, there are two sides to the reception that this TikToker has received. On one hand, many called him out for being overly aggressive with his review; saying that maybe he simply does not fall within the target market for the brand. This user said, “If you feel that it’s expensive, maybe you’re not the target market. If you feel it doesn’t taste good, maybe it’s just not for you. That’s all.”
Ya kalo ngerasa kemahalan, mungkin emang bukan target marketnya.
Kalo ngerasa ngga enak, mungkin emang bukan seleranya. Gitu aja sih ?— AA (@aiuemocha) April 22, 2021
While another chided him for his lack of detail in this review. The user wrote: That’s not how to review a product, even if it doesn’t taste good, explain elaborately how it tastes. Maybe it just doesn’t suit them. An honest review and not understanding are two different things.”
Ga gitu cara review produk, meskipun ga enak coba jelasin dan ceritain taste enak menurut dia gimana. Maybe that just not suit for them. Review jujur sama ga paham itu beda ?
— Gejetid (@adefai7) April 22, 2021
This user, however, agreed with the influencer:
Been there before in Ashta , For that size and price surely it’s overrated and overpriced, don’t really understand the hype. https://t.co/jkUu8MeKzc
— Dipp (@jeancoxxx) April 23, 2021
This user was shocked to find out the price of a cup of coffee.
so exp wthhh 20 plus is madness https://t.co/kXbxg1Cu67
— submitted my thesis (@samzdabomb) April 23, 2021
With all that’s said and done, we do have to appreciate honest reviews. No one wants to be told something is good, only to find out later that it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. At the same time, a caveat or disclaimer beforehand, to provide a basis for followers to understand what the reviewers’ general preferences are, would help with understanding why the reviewer feels a certain way about the product. The influencer in the TikTok video was not wrong in expressing his opinions, of course, but his somewhat aggressive delivery is also rather unnecessary.
What say you? Are you a fan of brutally honest reviews or would you prefer something a little more focused on the details? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
*Photo credit: TikTok @ceddyornot
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