Influencer outreach - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

THE recent salvos fired between social media marketing firm Gushcloud and local blogger Xiaxue created a hullabaloo for a bit. The online vigilante group SMRT Ltd (Feedback) also got into the act, starting an expose against Xiaxue and sparking an uproar with netizens.

The episode briefly cast the spotlight on the trend of "influencer" engagement and so-called "celebrity" endorsements in the so…