US Pizza MY and TikToker CeddyOrNot explain what led to the heated exchange

Pizza chain US Pizza Malaysia landed itself in a sticky situation recently when it was called out by Twitch and TikTok content creator, Ceddy Lopez also known as CeddyOrNot, for allegedly not wanting to pay influencers for its latest campaign. In a recent tweet, Ceddy shared a screenshot with the caption: "US Pizza, you can have a few branches in Malaysia and can afford to hire an agency, make them pay your influencers."

The screenshot showed an email exchange between Marilyn Kee from Envisage Digital Space and Lopez. Kee reached out to him on behalf of US Pizza for a TikTok and Instagram collaboration. In the email, she explained that US Pizza would like to work with Lopez for a TikTok video as part of its latest MCO campaign which would then be reposted as an Instagram Story. The email also requested Lopez to fill in details such as his TikTok username, number of followers, address, mobile number, the nearest US Pizza and preferred delivery timings for the three types of pizza it is offering in return.

In response, Lopez asked if this was a paid collaboration and if so, his manager will be sharing his rate card. "All my video reviews are properly edited by myself so I would love to be compensated with more than just pizzas," he explained. Lopez has 154.3k TikTok followers and is known for his food reviews for products including Tip Top, Rahman's Corner Nasi Kandar, Monstr.my cookies, Mikabitee nutella brownies, and Miru Dessert Cafe's kakigori.

https://twitter.com/CeddyOrNot/status/1414301182659469313/photo/1

In a follow-up tweet, he warned Malaysian influencers to not be foolish as there is no reason why they should be doing a free promo for brands or US Pizza. "If they approach you, they should pay for your work, period," Lopez said.

That same day, Lopez posted a separate tweet with screenshots of Kee's response which requested for him to share his rate card. Kee also said in the response that Lopez may turn down the offer if he is uninterested.

"Instead, prior to our reply, you have posted a few Instagram Stories on your profile that [is potentially defamatory for] US Pizza Malaysia," Kee explained. She added that US Pizza has also taken action against Lopez because his intentional posting could be "violating the PDPA law" and causing a reputational loss for the brand. Lopez then said he has a legal background and has also worked in agencies before. As such, he is well versed with the workings of engaging an influencer and brands who want to pay will offer a rate or ask for one.

https://twitter.com/CeddyOrNot/status/1414457090249150471

US Pizza subsequently texted Lopez separately on Instagram, explaining that the initiative was part of its MCO campaign and it will be sending pizzas to influencers who have agreed to collaborate with them. While it did not make mention of payment in its email, US Pizza said Lopez could have clarified that he only accepts paid reviews and it will be happy to review his pricing. It added that Lopez's tweet about influencers being "stupid" should they accept reviews is "very harsh and totally unacceptable".

In response, Lopez said has proof of instances where US Pizza "exploited" its influencers. For example, the brand allegedly offered a RM100 voucher to influencers when they asked for payment. He also stated in his Instagram bio that he does not accept free reviews and that the agency should have done its research before approaching him.

https://twitter.com/CeddyOrNot/status/1414529112127852544

US Pizza Malaysia shares its side of the story

US Pizza's spokesperson explained to A+M that the MCO execution was a gift review campaign where it would deliver food to influencers' homes for them to try. Some influencers will choose to post an Instagram Story while some might make edits and post it onto their Instagram or TikTok feeds. Since it is a gift review campaign, US Pizza did not ask for influencers' rate cards and it is up to them to join the campaign or decline the offer, the spokesperson said. For influencers who are charging for the review, US Pizza will review their rate cards and proceed with the collaboration if it is within its budget, the spokesperson clarified.

I do agree that we must include a remark in the email that this is a gift review, and if influencers are charging for the review, they can send us their rate card. We have sent this feedback to the agency and requested it to amend the content of the email.

"Not once have we forced anyone to post for free and not all our posts are gift reviews. If it is within our budget, we will proceed to engage the influencer," the spokesperson said. 

The brand also clarified that Lopez responded to Envisage Digital Space's email at 1 am and decided to post screenshots of the email conversation at 3 am even before it could respond. This action was deemed unacceptable by the brand. The spokesperson said Lopez is always welcomed to have a discussion with US Pizza if he is unhappy with the way it has approached him. It also clarified that it has never rejected his rate card.

"I believe influencers known what they are doing. If they are charging for a service, they would inform [us] in advance when we offer them," US Pizza added. The spokesperson also said the brand did not have a chance to speak with him, therefore Lopez should not conclude that it was unwilling to pay for his service. 

"We decided not to respond to this issue because we do not want to confuse our customers further. Our customers are our top priority. We will learn from this mistake and improve ourselves and of course, be more careful next time," US Pizza said. 

Meanwhile, Kee explained to A+M that her agency has always worked on paid and gift review campaigns depending on the clients' budgets. For US Pizza's campaign, it does not handle paid influencers but instead, the Envisage Digital Space forwards influencers' rate cards to the client for direct collaborations. Kee added that any payment from the influencer will be made directly to the client.

"In Lopez’s case, I received the email at 1:25 am with him asking if this was a paid campaign, in response to my email about his to be part of the campaign. However, prior to my reply, he had decided to post the screenshots of the emails on his Twitter at 3 am with rude comments towards other influencers who had taken up the gift reviews, to US Pizza as well as towards me personally," she said. 

Kee added that the campaign has been going on for quite some time and several influencers were happy to collaborate with US Pizza on the offer. "I believe it is every influencer's right to agree or reject the offer or even to come up with a discussion in a much professional way," she added.

How can brands improve their relationship with KOLs?

In response, Lopez told A+M that he did not need to wait for US Pizza to come back with a reply seeing that the opening of its initial email was already rubbing him the wrong way. "My Instagram profile states that I do not do gift reviews. So it is their lack of research about who they are engaging," he said. According to him, other influencers also informed him that they were approached in a similar manner, including an influencer with two million TikTok followers. 

Brands need to understand that KOLs or anyone in the creative industry are not free walking billboards, research on who you wish to work with and then be ready to pay them.

Lopez explained that KOL marketing is a form of promotion, just like digital ads. If clients will not hesitate to pump in money on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, why are they then being stingy with KOLs? On the KOL front, he said content creators and influencers also need to know their worth and it is best to reconsider a collaboration opportunity that does not involve monetary compensation.

"Sure, it sounds cool to be 'Sponsored by' but products do not pay the bills. That is on the assumption that the KOL is making a living through this," he added.