OPPO Kenya has taken legal action against AIfluence on grounds of defamation and brand harm caused by the agency’s failure to fulfill their payment obligation to the affected influencers.
OPPO Kenya, in a statement, says it does not condone the current frustrations that the influencers engaged in the Reno12 series campaign are going through and is fully committed to supporting any of the influencers affected by the current situation.
“Our goal is to ensure that the influencer’s rights are protected and fair compensation is given. The brand values the contributions of all influencers/creatives and remains committed to fostering positive and respectful partnerships in the Kenyan Market,” said OPPO Kenya in a statement.
The firm sued AIfluence after concerns raised by some influencers regarding payments for their engagement in the OPPO Reno12 series campaign. OPPO Kenya engaged the services of influencer marketing agency, AIfluence, to manage influencers and creatives for the Reno12 series campaign. This included handling contracts, deliverables, and payments and OPPO Kenya paid the firm in full.
“Following our contractual agreement with AIfluence, OPPO Kenya made an initial 50% down payment to the agency to facilitate the influencers and remitted the final 50% payment upon completion of work, which was done on the 25th of October 2024,” announced OPPO Kenya, adding that the influencers signed direct contracts with the agency and not OPPO Kenya.
OPPO Kenya fulfilled all its financial obligations by making full payments to the said agency, AIfluence; this information was communicated to the influencers either directly or through their respective managers. Unfortunately, under Kenyan law, OPPO Kenya does not have the legal grounds to directly pursue AIfluence on behalf of the affected influencers but is offering legal assistance, including covering legal costs, to the affected influencers as they seek legal action against the agency for lack of compensation, of which none of them has taken up this offer.
