The wholesome construction worker influencer was just an ad, because nothing is sacred
We regret to inform you that the construction worker father turned influencer who's gone viral is nothing but a marketing tactic.
Omar, who posts under the handle @justaconstructionguy, captured Instagram's heart yesterday with his heartwarming flat lays and love for coffee. A tweet by a now-private Twitter account claimed that her dad heard about influencers and decided to try it out himself.
As much as we love Omar the construction worker, it turns out he's not even running the account. Instead, the account was an elaborate ad for Cuvée Coffee, a brand that "coffee lover" Omar frequently tags in his photos.
According to BuzzFeed, @justaconstructionguy was created by Cuvée Coffee's owner Mike McKim. McKim told BuzzFeed that stereotypical influencers didn't fit his company's "brand," but a "a hard-worker, blue-collar guy" would. He and a team from an advertising agency constructed this persona of a construction worker who loved three things: heavy machinery, cigars, and coffee.
Although he didn't disclose Omar's last name, McKim says he really is a local construction worker in Austin, Texas.
The account isn't monetized, but McKim is open to the idea of letting the real Omar have some access and autonomy in the future. Ironically, he noted that traditional influencers "don't feel genuine."
So there you have it. The wholesome dad trying to be an influencer feels a lot cheaper knowing it's just a personality put together by advertisers to shill coffee, but we'll take it! At least Omar looks like he's having fun.
Topics Instagram
