OPPO Kenya has sued influencer marketing agency AIfluence for defamation after some of the influencers in the Reno12 series campaign came out to claim that the company had refused to pay influencers who took part in the campaign.
The disagreement revolved around the fact that AIfluence was claiming OPPO Kenya had not yet paid them and, in turn, paid the influencers, while OPPO Kenya stated that it had completed all its payments.
Following contractual obligation, OPPO Kenya made a 50% deposit of the project cost upon signing the contract and the remaining 50% by the end of October 2024 once the project was completed. This was to ensure that AIfluence would be able to make payments to the influencers on time.
Despite this clear financial agreement and settlement, surprisingly, some influencers still lamented not having received such payments. On the side of OPPO Kenya, they responded by writing a demand letter to AIfluence, insisting that they pay off what was owed to the contracted influencers. Throughout this engagement, OPPO has maintained transparency by informing the influencers that all funds, indeed, were disbursed to Affluence.
Our team reached out to OPPO for a comment and this is what they had to say, “OPPO Kenya is saddened by this development and remains committed to ensuring that all creatives and influencers that OPPO works with are always accorded fair treatment and duly compensated. In light of the ongoing issues, the brand is fully prepared to provide legal support to the affected influencers as they seek legal redress against AIfluence.”
As the legal proceedings unfold, the case shows the complexities of influencer marketing and the importance of clear agreements and communication among all parties involved. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for influencer marketing practices in Kenya in the future.
