5 Major Influencer Fails That Went Viral

Influencers Get Burned By Fyre Festival

Influencers Get Burned By Fyre Festival


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Two documentaries, millions of dollars and a whole lot of heartache later… the Fyre Festival disaster has earned the top spot on our list of influencer fails. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple years, you may have heard about this “luxury music festival” gone wrong.

Ever heard the term “Instagram versus reality?” It’s never been more accurate than with Fyre Festival. The team – including organizer Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule – spent millions on an influencer marketing campaign to promote this music festival in the Bahamas. Dozens of influencers – including Kendall Jenner for a cool $250,000 – simultaneously posted an orange graphic on Instagram with the hashtag #FyreFest, gaining over 300 million impressions in 24 hours. 

Supermodels like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski frolicked on the beach in bikinis for promotional shots. Attendees were promised the finest housing, cuisine and luxury experience. What could go wrong?

Influencers Get Burned By Fyre Festival

Turns out, everything. Guests arrived on school buses to a destroyed site with disaster relief tents for housing and the infamous cheese sandwich that went viral. Most of the staff were not properly compensated, and Billy MacFarland is now in prison for fraud. 

Dozens of influencers found themselves in hot water following the Fyre Festival disaster – demonstrating the power of influencer marketing, but also that things on Instagram are not always as they appear!


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