Technology manufacturer OPPO Kenya has released a statement blaming influencer marketing agency, AIfluence, for delaying payments to influencers who worked on the OPPO Reno12 series campaign.
Among the affected influencers are Bernice Nunah and Flaqo who recently came out to say that they have not been paid for over 5 months.
OPPO Kenya partnered with AIfluence to manage the Reno12 series campaign. AIfluence was responsible for contracts, deliverables, and influencer payments. OPPO Kenya made the payment in full on October 25 after making an initial 50% down payment and the remaining 50% upon campaign completion.
The company says that it has sued AIfluence on grounds of defamation and brand harm caused by the agency’s failure to fulfill their payment obligation to the affected influencers. It is also offering legal assistance, through covering legal costs, for the affected influencers who would like to legal action against AIfluence in order to recover their dues.
AIfluence claims to be an AI-powered influencer marketing platform. It received Ksh. 108 million ($1 million) in seed funding in 2021 and won the Visa Everywhere Initiative Kenya edition in 2023. AIfluence was co-founded by Nelson Aseka, who also serves as CEO.
The full statement by OPPO Kenya is below:
OPPO Kenya Response to Influencer Payment Concerns
OPPO Kenya is aware of the concerns raised by some influencers regarding payments for their engagement in the OPPO Reno12 series campaign. The brand takes these concerns very seriously and would like to clarify the facts surrounding the issue.
As part of the brand working with creatives/influencers, OPPO Kenya engaged the services of an influencer marketing agency, AIfluence, to manage influencers for the Reno12 series campaign. This included handling contracts, deliverables, and payments.
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.
It is important to note that all influencers in this campaign signed direct contracts with the agency and not OPPO Kenya; however, we deeply empathize with the affected influencers. 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.OPPO Kenya has, however, offered 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.
Additionally, 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 does not condone the current frustrations that the influencers engaged in the Reno12 series campaign are going through. OPPO Kenya is fully committed to supporting any of the influencers affected by the current situation. The brand’s 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.