The Influencer Power
Influencers these days play a very big and important role in brand promotions and they are generally paid huge remunerations in order to so. The brand lays down certain expectations and terms for the kind of promotion they seek and the influencer is expected to deliver as per those expectations. Depending on the follower base and reach, influencers charge anywhere between $5000 to $100,000.
The Case
In a recent case of brand and influencer saga, Snapchat sued an Instagram influencer. This celebrity influencer was hired to promote Snapchat Spectacles but he failed to deliver as per commitments and hence was caught in a legal battle. As per the PR consulting firm, Luka was supposed to create original content including one post and three stories on Instagram and he was paid to specifically promote the same around Fashion Week in New York, Milan and Paris at the end of September. The marketing firm claims that Luka created only two posts. He was paid an upfront fee of $45,000 and was promised to be paid another $15,000 on completion of work.
Sabbat who has about 1.4 Mn followers on Instagram is sued for $90,000 for the alleged breach of contract. He was supposed to wear those camera sunglasses and promote the brand, apparently which he failed to do.
A Common Scenario
This scenario is becoming quite common in the influencer circuit. The influencers take the money or in some cases the barter products or services, but when it comes to delivering what the brand expects them to, they either fail or do not perform as per expectations. Recently another news a food blogger being charged for eating free food but not reviewing the restaurant was doing rounds on the social media.
PR firms should take appropriate steps to ensure the sanity of both the parties involved. Because in many cases, it also comes across, that the influencers do their job as expected, but the brands delay payments and sometimes don’t pay as promised. Well, whatever may be the case, some measures should definitely be taken in order to secure both the brand and the influencer.
