SINGAPORE, Oct 6 — A Facebook post which called a S$2,300 (RM7,938) advertising proposal by food website Sethlui.com to be featured in a food recommendation article a scam is “patently false”, said the online publication today.
On Wednesday, a Facebook user called Yang Charlene Yan said that she was “pretty shocked” to receive an email proposal from Sethlui.com with the said price package in order to be part of a “Best place to eat in Everton Park” article.
Sethlui.com is an online publication formed in 2013 that curates food and lifestyle content across Singapore and South-east Asia.
“Like what happened to actual research, trying then putting in your true recommendations?” wrote Yang.
“Now they just ask for money, content and pictures to be provided and you buy yourself a random spot on the article, disguised as genuine article instead of disclosing as a paid ad.
“Just incredulous,” wrote Yang, who added a hashtag #itsascam in her post.
It is not clear what kind of food and beverage (F&B) business Yang runs or owns. She declined to comment when contacted by TODAY.
Based on a screenshot of the email sent by a Sethlui.com staff, the advertising package includes a listicle feature with accompanying text and photos. It covers a listing period of minimally a year and social media boosting cost.
In a statement on its Facebook page today to address Yang’s post, Seth Lui, the company’s founder, said that communication with a potential client containing confidential business information was published online, which had generated discussions.
He went on to dismiss Yang’s post as “patently false”, saying that it contains a misconception that SethLui.com randomly picks eateries and send them proposals.
“If it were true, the biggest names in F&B would top all our lists, squeezing out everyone else,” he said.
Lui said that the company uses social media and Google ratings to discover new and trending places which its writers then try out and “write about them honestly”.
“We employ a strict methodology for our ratings and writers try the fare before putting finger to keyboard.”
Addressing Yang’s claims, Lui added that the company had heard good things about her F&B business through its circle.
Further research was carried out on the outlet, which later found that it has a 4.7-star rating from almost 140 reviews.
Upon verification of the ratings, the company felt that it warrants a potential recommendation to its readers and reached out to the business for a potential sales collaboration.
Lui added: “In a client collaboration, one or more members of the team would have visited them, understood more about their story, tried the food, and then written about it.
“If the food quality is far below average, we would still drop the client so as not to mislead our readers.”
According to Lui, the company’s reviews express genuine opinion, which had also resulted in some threats of lawsuits from other companies.
He added that majority of reviews and features are paid out from its own budget, especially for hawkers and small businesses, with a disclaimer for branded or sponsored content appended clearly at the end of those articles.
Lui also addressed the issue in a separate Facebook post on his personal account, saying that he is running a media business and has to balance monetisation with free content, which forms the majority of SethLui.com’s work.
“There is a difference between a hobby and business,” he wrote, adding that businesses have the right to say no when being approached with advertising offers, allowing both sides to “move on”.
“Our goal is to empower and increase the discoverability of F&B brands.
“As a business employing almost 20 staff members, we also need to balance our execution with sales opportunities in this competitive market,” Lui added.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or confusion caused and remain committed to our mission of supporting the F&B industry in its efforts to provide excellent dining experiences.” — TODAY
