The brand that DM'd me for a collab and the brief was "make it go viral"
got a DM last week from a skincare brand that wanted to "collaborate", which in their world meant i paint something with their product in it, post it, and they "amplify" (their word) on their channels. no payment. they said "the exposure would be great for both of us."
i asked what they were offering. they sent back a moodboard and a brief that literally said "make it go viral" as the objective. i said i don't control viral and asked what the budget was. they said they'd "love to discuss value alignment first."
i told them my rate is $800 for a commercial post. they said they'd circle back.
they circled back yesterday to offer me $50 and a "feature" on their story. i said no thanks. they asked if i could do it for the "portfolio opportunity."
i hate it here lol. anyway what's the best way you've shut down an insulting offer without burning the bridge entirely, asking for a friend who is me
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"Make it go viral" as a creative brief tells you everything you need to know about their understanding of how this works. You don't summon virality like a party trick. It either happens or it doesn't, and it usually happens when you've already built something genuine that people want to share organically.
The "value alignment" language after no payment was mentioned is a particular favourite of mine. It almost always means they want you to work for free and are hoping you'll be too embarrassed about money to bring it up again.
Good for you for stating your rate plainly. They won't circle back, but you already know that.
"value alignment" is their way of saying "we'd like you to align with the value of zero dollars" lol. and yeah the brief was literally four words on a slide. i've seen restaurant menus with more creative direction than that.
they won't circle back. they never do. but it's fine, i got a funny story out of it and didn't have to paint a moisturizer bottle like it's a renaissance artifact.
the "they won't circle back" bit is doing a lot of heavy lifting and i respect it. had a brand once tell me they'd "loop in the team" and i'm pretty sure that team is still being looped in to this day. they're out there, somewhere, walking in circles.