OPPO Kenya has responded to allegations from influencers claiming they have not been paid for their work on the Reno12 series campaign.
Influencers, including Bernice Nunah and content creator Flaqo, accused OPPO Kenya and influencer marketing agency AIfluence of failing to compensate them for their promotional contributions.
Flaqo revealed that his team attended OPPO Kenya’s AI event in August 2024 and produced three months’ worth of promotional content within two weeks. However, despite fulfilling their contractual obligations, he stated that five months later, neither OPPO Kenya nor AIfluence had processed their payments.
OPPO Kenya Responds to Payment Allegations
In a statement released on Monday, OPPO Kenya confirmed it was aware of the influencers’ concerns. The company clarified that AIfluence was responsible for managing influencer contracts, deliverables, and payments, as it had been hired to oversee all aspects of the campaign.
According to OPPO Kenya, it had fulfilled all financial obligations to AIfluence, including making an initial 50% down payment at the start of the campaign and remitting the final 50% payment on October 25, 2024, upon completion of the work.
“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 stated.
The company assured that it had directly communicated this information to the concerned influencers and their managers, reaffirming that all payments were made in full to AIfluence.
Legal Action Against AIfluence
Despite fulfilling its contractual obligations, OPPO Kenya stated that under Kenyan law, it has no legal grounds to take direct action against AIfluence on behalf of the influencers.
However, the company said it had offered legal assistance, including covering legal fees, for any influencer who wanted to pursue legal action against AIfluence.
“While OPPO Kenya has no legal basis to act against AIfluence on behalf of the influencers, we empathize with their situation. We have extended legal support, including covering legal fees, to those who wish to take legal action, but none have opted for this assistance,” OPPO Kenya clarified.
In a significant move, OPPO Kenya has now initiated legal proceedings against AIfluence, citing defamation and brand damage caused by the agency’s failure to pay influencers.
“OPPO Kenya does not condone the frustrations that influencers engaged in the Reno12 series campaign are facing. We remain fully committed to supporting any of the influencers affected by the current situation,” the company stated.
