Top dawg public relations firm PR Consulting is suing 20-year-old actor/model/INFLUENCER, Luka Sabbat, for $90k, alleging he didn’t influence enough for them.
#relatable.
PRC alleges it signed an agreement with Sabbat to share 3 Instagram stories and one post of him rocking the new Snap Spectacles with his 1.4m IG followers — but the baby-boy-toy only posted one story and one post.
The risks of hiring a 20-year-old hype beast…
Snapchat hired the PR firm to hire an influencer to push its new v2 Snap Spectacle revamp on the very platform that steals everything Snap has ever done… and makes it better. Yikes…
Snap needed a boost after selling an underwhelming 220k of the v1 Specs back in 2016 (ultimately costing them $40m in the process), so Sabbat got paid $45k upfront with the promise of another $15k to post himself reppin’ the specs on the gram.
Of course, there were a few details ignored
The contract ordered Sabbat to add “swipe-up” links to 2 of those Story posts, get pre-approval with PRC, and send metrics tracking performance.
Sabbat said “eff that” on 2 of the Stories, one of the swipe-ups, the photo shoots, the pre-approvals and the analytics (because, frankly, why would you assign him that much responsibility?).
So, PRC sued him for the $45k it put down plus an additional $45k in damages, saying in the lawsuit filing, “Sabbat has been unjustly enriched.”
This makes Snapchat’s troubles the real spectacle
The platform claims they had nothing to do with PRC’s decision; ultimately the suit could do more damage to its already shaky reputation than the financial retribution PRC could receive.
Influencers have been long-labeled as kids who buy (and trash) McMansions, spend their fortunes on Postmates orders, and make tone-deaf videos about dead bodies — literally a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g to stay #relevant.
Now, according to the The Fashion Law, this case could underscore the need for prorated payment terms per post instead of collecting upfront fees.
More importantly: Stop trying to make Spectacles happen, Snapchat.