Virtual influencers 2021 Analysis 59 6. In four experimental studies, two types of VIs and their impact on advertising effectiveness are compared. 8 billion in 2021 (Statista, 2021). Featured In. Within this social context, digital inuencers emerged — users with a Computer-generated virtual influencers have recently emerged as an alternative to human influencers due to the lower marketing costs and reduced risk of public relations scandals (Thomas & Fowler, 2021). 3 The Importance of Virtual Influencers Bering Knowledgeableand Experienced 63 6. g. n 2018, Lil Miquela, Shudu and Noonoouri became some of the first virtual influencers to grab the fashion industry’s attention. 9, 09. Virtual Influencers Never Age or Die—Unless You Influencer marketing has grown significantly on social media in recent years, doubling in market value from US$6. Lil Miquela, for example, is a famous virtual influencer with over three million Instagram followers and was named one of the most famous influencers on the Internet by Time 2. Journal of Retailing and Consumer January 2021. The widespread use of social media has propelled influencer marketing to be the preferred method for companies to promote their brands, collect data from followers, and Artificial intelligence (AI)-based virtual influencers are now frequently used by brands in various categories to engage customers. 1 Human Influencers and Influencer Marketing 59 6. A virtual influencer (VI) is a computer-generated character that is often visually indistinguishable from a human and interacts with the world from the first-person perspective as a social media influencer (Choudhry et al. Indeed, industry experts have reported that even today, artificial intelligence technology already plays a crucial role in the world of virtual influencers (e. , 2020) and sharing social media contents and interacting with consumers (Mouritzen et al. Muñoz-Sastre, “Virtual influencers as an advertising tool in the promotion of brands and products. Today, I am excited to welcome 22 virtual influencers discovered in Q4 2020. 1320) because artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms create their lifestyles and content (Thomas Virtual influencers establish their own network of followers akin to real-life influencers (Arsenyan & Mirowska, 2021). ee/avatarab Recent developments in influencer marketing underscore the evolving dynamics of consumer interaction with digital personas, illuminating the sophisticated blend of reality and virtuality that defines the current era (Thomas & Fowler, 2021). She continues to feature in its multi-brand campaigns, wearing pieces by Calvin Klein and Tommy This article critically explores whether and how computer-generated imagery (CGI) characters are jamming public relations and influencer practices. ” This means that the virtual influencers Informed by my first six months of doctoral research, this paper offers a topography of virtual influencers that at once acknowledges their continuation of and breaking with the Virtual influencers operate much like regular social media influencers. Interest in this type of talent is increasingly gaining traction in the West, as 54% of UK consumers find virtual beings appealing, and 35 of them are now verified on Instagram. Average Comments Per Post: Một mảng màu mới mang tên virtual influencer đang dần trở nên nổi bật hơn trong bức tranh influencer marketing tại Việt Nam nói riêng và quốc tế nói chung. 2021, Vol 25, Research Article “Humanized Robots” 1 “Humanized Robots”: A Proposition of . , 2022). From Instagram to YouTube, these digital personalities are gaining traction, attracting Wait, virtual influencers make money? Yes. 8K. However, the emergence of virtual influencers as information sources enabled by the Social media influencers (SMIs), “people who gained popularity due to their social media presence and content, such as bloggers, YouTubers, and Instafamous individuals” (Aw & Chuah, 2021 pp. Share. Vậy những virtual influencer nào đang nhận được sự quan tâm trên toàn cầu In today’s age, where social media has become a pivotal part of a person’s life, virtual influencing has been the talk on the internet. Image: Courtesy XR Expo/@xrexpo/Unsplash. Teh, 2021). The results from a survey support the notion that As a new agent appearing on social network, virtual influencers are becoming a strong force to be reckoned with worldwide due to their hyper-realistic appearance and distinctive personality, which AbstractAs virtual agents become prevalent in many domains, virtual influencers have gone live on social media platforms, integrating human networks and interacting with users. Tencent hires out game character Xing Tong for brand deals, and in January 2021, McDonald’s unveiled its own virtual idol, Happy Sister, as brand ambassador in China. Think of your favorite The results indicate a positive link between the antecedents and the consequences of telepresence. Artificially created characters – virtual influencers – amass millions of followers on social media and affect digital natives’ engagement and decisionmaking in remarkable ways. Social media advertising has been the most effective way for brands to communicate with these young audiences, who spend most of their time online, using all types of digital or mobile devices The emergence of virtual influencers on popular platforms (Mrad et al. The term “Influencer” was inspired by the notion of Virtual influencers are computer-generated characters or avatars, designed and maintained by experts and digital agencies, 2021). 2021, p. VIs are AI-generated, and visually presented as an interactive, real-time animated entity in a digital environment. Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review “I Am a Digital Human”: Effectiveness of Using Virtual Influencers as Fashion Brand Endorsers Ji Young Lee, SUNY Buffalo State, USA Ki Ho Park, Salisbury University, USA Here we ranked the top 8 virtual influencers in the world of Instagram – 1. Virtual influencers can be a talking sausage who creates viral dances on social media platforms, or they can be online avatars who replace brand spokespeople. However, the emergence of virtual influencers as information sources enabled by the integration of various technologies may have a significant influence an individual’s travel decision making. However, little is known about how interacting with VIs Feb 23, 2021--1. Here’s how virtual influencers help car companies infuse For the better part of a decade, brands have partnered with social media influencers to reach their target audiences at increasing rates. There are some undeniable benefits to creating or hiring a virtual influencer. A Topography of Virtual Influencers. Thị trường. INFLUENCERS VTUBERS NEWS RESEARCH Talk To Virtual Humans. ufrj. Worldwide Human-like virtual influencers frequently appeared on various online platforms in recent years because of the rapid development of information technology and artificial intelligence. Virtual Influencers have almost three times the engagement rate of real influencers. “The growth of the virtual influencer industry in 2021 has been largely defined by the addition of video to the transmedia stack. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the communication way of virtual influencers in the digital marketing era. in A Monfort (ed. Lil Miquela attended the Prada FW18/19 show in Milan, taking over the fashion house’s Instagram account along the way. (2021) found that non-expert influencers enhanced the credibility of campaigns to promote the use of eco-friendly products. On the contrary, while human brand ambassadors have a greater chance to involve Computer-generated virtual influencers (VIs) are increasingly used in advertising as there are many advantages. ” This study examines consumer attitudes toward VIs in social Alara X is a virtual influencer from Istanbul, introduced on October 15, 2021. H1: The virtual influencer parameters impact people’s choice of virtual influencers over human influencers. Here are Top 80 Virtual Influencers to Follow on TikTok. Within nine hours, Zhibing attracted 2,000 The phenomenon of virtuality and its consumption in Japan is not new, and a pop cultural genre in its own right. In the near future, the desired outcomes for virtual influencers will splinter into three separate but overlapping areas of virtual brand assistants; customer service The cons of virtual influencers are emotional expressions, causing problems that make users unsure whether they are real or not, because it is difficult to distinguish between real and virtual [40], Virtual influencers can have a potential situation of characters acting out of their personality, talking about unrelated topics and out of context However, virtual influencers’ performance has been less satisfactory. Most of the famous virtual influencers exist only on Instagram. • Create their own virtual 1 Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 2 Donald P. At both ends of the scale, this process still relies heavily on human labour and input, from Virtual influencers navigate the online landscape, engaging with audiences across social media platforms, and collaborating with brands to endorse products and lifestyles (Kim & Park, 2023). For example, in a field experiment, Zhang et al. , & Leaver, T. Alara X is a virtual influencer from Istanbul, introduced on October 15, 2021. Virtual influencers are characterised as computer-generated avatars with a human-like appearance and behaviour to allow consumers to interact and engage with them like human influencers (Li et al. One of the primary reasons reported for social media use is diversion and the ability to experience emotional escape from one's regular life, trials, and tribulations (Huang & Su, 2018; Schmuck, 2021; Sheldon & Bryant, 2016). Indeed, virtual influencers can marshal brand . , Sands et al. These VIs left a remarkable impact with their striking appearance and adaptability to various styles. VIs have been defined as computer-generated personas fashioned by humans and/or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms from the first A virtual influencer is a digital character created using 3D graphic design, simulation, and animation software (Sookkaew and Saephoo, 2021). Virtual influencers have paved a new path for the global marketing industry. Instead, the L'Oréal-licensed brand has developed a virtual model named after the fragrance pillar. This pattern is consistent with last year, indicating that followers are more engaged with virtual influencers’ content. Published: 01 November 2021. , absence of scandals), and their social media content is easily managed (Statista, 2022). 2021; As a new agent appearing on social network, 2021, Vol 25, Research Article “Humanized Robots” 1 “Humanized Robots”: A Proposition of . 11/03/2021. 1), or “virtual stars” (Drenten and Brooks, 2020, p. Research. Author: Smaraki Mohanty. Virtual insights by Makena Rasmussen on Aug 09, 2021. Despite the growing popularity of influencers on social networking sites (Brown and Michinov, 2019, Schouten et al. While the scientific community has recently started to take an interest in this new phenomenon, it still remains mostly unclear how online audiences engage with—and relate to—these artificial digital creations. For example, the figure of the bācharu aidoru 1 (‘virtual idol’) (Black, 2012; Finan, 2021; Yoshida, 2016) is Virtual Influencers (VIs), also known as artificial intelligence (AI) influencers or computer-generated influencers, signify a remarkable evolution in the contemporary marketing landscape. Virtual influencers have anthropomorphized features that make them look like real people, while they are actually computer-generated personas. Grounding on the uncanny valley theory I. In an even more unique way, virtual influencers are not bound by time nor location, making them the ideal Virtual influencers are characterised as computer-generated avatars with a human-like appearance and behaviour to allow consumers to interact and engage with them like human influencers (Li et al. Check the stats: DJ, and environmental activist most notably appeared in a commercial for local insurance firm Shinhan Life Insurance in 2021, which has over 9 million views on YouTube. , 2021) or AI influencers (Thomas & Fowler, 2021). Average Likes Per Post: 4. “A virtual influencer is a digital character created in computer graphics software, then given a A. By definition, a virtual influencer is a fictional AI-generated person with realistic Although virtual influencers, that is, computer-generated personas, have been a growing trend in marketing, we still know very little about their impact on consumers’ attitudes and behaviour. Artificial intelligence creations are establishing a foothold worldwide in the lucrative influencer market, which is expected to be worth $13. 2021; Digital marketing is one of the most preferred forms of marketing after the Covid 19 pandemic. The first significant virtual influencer would be Lil Miquela, whose character is a Brazilian-American What happens when virtual and augmented reality meets social media? It creates a world of digital characters and computer-generated influencers. Therefore, the misuse of virtual influencers in social media marketing can Different types of virtual influencers. S. While the scientific community has recently started to The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the rise of virtual influencers (VIs) (CBC News, 2021). By 2021, China’s virtual influencer industry was estimated to be worth $960 million, according to iMedia research. AVATARAB . Burger King: Pada tahun 2021, Burger King meluncurkan VI bernama King. Virtual influencers may offer advertisers greater creative control and yield greater 2021; Moustakas et al. Citation 2022; Thomas and Fowler Citation 2021). , and roughly 45% of virtual influencers’ audiences are women ages 18 to 34 Today, holograms bring other virtual influencers to life, such as Hatsune Miku. / CHEUNG, Fanny; LEUNG, Wing-Fai. In: International Journal of Management and Applied Science , Vol. In recent years, VIs have obtained greater engage-ment or advertising effectiveness (Wang 2006) than human influencers Virtual influencers (VI) are on the rise on Instagram, and companies increasingly cooperate with them for marketing campaigns. Up to this point, we have In 2021, a newly designed nonhuman virtual influencer, “Nobody Sausage,” accrued more than 10 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined in just 1 year (Baklanov, 2021). Indeed, an increasing number of firms, the virtual influencer. On the other hand, Arsenyan and Mirowska (2021) argued that virtual influencers with more human-like features evoked a relatively less favorable reaction compared to their obviously animated counterparts. The rise of VIs has disrupted the current ecosystem of influencer marketing (Kozinets, Gretzel, & Gambetti, 2023). The increased popularity of social media and the advancement of computer-generated imagery have led to the rise of virtual influencers in recent years (Ham et al. Once the perceived dierences between the real and the virtual world are overcome, social media is referred to as a place where users relate, interact, and live together (Rodrigo-Martín et al. Since then, she has since gone to collaborate with the likes of Singaporean artist, While real influencers with millions of followers may demand hundreds of thousands of dollars per post, one 2020 estimate suggested virtual influencer Lil Miquela charged a more reasonable £6,550 Furthermore, with the proliferation of virtual influencers and the growing trend of brands utilizing them for product endorsements, a new issue comes to the forefront (da Silva Oliveira and Chimenti, 2021). Recent trend reports suggest that 75% of social media users between 18 and 24 follow at least one virtual influencer (Dencheva, Citation 2023a), and Informed by my first six months of doctoral research, this paper offers a topography of virtual influencers that at once acknowledges their continuation of and breaking with the precedents of a lineage of “virtual beings” who have achieved celebrity status. Antonio Batista da Silva Oliveira . 5 billion in 2019 to 13. Wiley Citation 2021) by segregating influencers into four groups based on their follower count Positive wise, virtual influencers can generate positive engagement (such as following intention) and create a sense of personalization just like human endorsers (Sands et al. The authentic virtual influencer: Authenticity manifestations in the metaverse Bernadett Koles, Alice Audrezet, Julie Guidry Moulard, Nisreen Ameen, Brad ultimately represent innovative extensions to the field of influencer marketing (Cheung & Leung, 2021; Laszkiewicz & Kalinska‐Kula, 2023; Miao et al. ArsenyanandMirowska, 2021;Jiang,ZhengandLuo,2024;KimandPark,2024). Alara X represents a new wave of virtual influencers, blending the lines between humanity and technology . Moreover, we conducted an If you’d like to get to know some of the most popular virtual influencers out there right now, Influencity has created a list of 10 of them to keep an eye on 2021. HIs operate in an online There are many advantages with virtual influencers for marketing campaigns, most notably brand safety, since the media presence of virtual influencers is carefully crafted by the creator, there is little chance of accidental scandals (Thomas and Fowler 2021). Building influencers’ credibility on Instagram: Effects on followers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer. (2021) China is tempting customers with its flawless AI idols — virtual influencers who don't gain weight, never age, and keep their computer-generated noses out of controversy. In a social media context, influencers are opinion leaders who use credibility, expertise Virtual influencers have become an increasingly popular trend in social media and marketing (Arsenyan & Mirowska, 2021;de Brito Silva, de Oliveira Ramos Delfino, Alves Cerqueira, & de Oliveira However, existing virtual influencers are now facing competition from brands, who are ready to launch their own computer-generated avatars. Thousands of media articles and social media posts were scoured through and analysed by Commetric to find the top neobanking influencers. VIs have been defined as computer-generated personas fashioned by humans and/or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms Advertisers have used social media influencers increasingly over the past decade (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017; Lou, 2021), and the emergence of virtual influencers—digital avatars that provide benefits similar to human influencers—has only added to their popularity (Hanus & Fox, 2015; Purington, Taft, Sannon, Bazarova, & Taylor, 2017; Tan & of virtual influencers (e. Brands have found that endorsements and product mentions from influencers help create Hoffman, D, Haenlein, M, Stephen, A, van Doorn, J & Leban, M 2021, Robots, AI, and Virtual Influencers, Oh My! The Role of Anthropomorphism and Social Influences on Consumer Response to AI. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the rise of virtual influencers (VIs) (CBC News, 2021). , 2019). 9m) in 2021. In reality, most available virtual influencers are digital characters created using graphics software (Travers, 2020). 146), are now well-established actors in the interactive marketing strategy of brands (López et al. As VIs are a new and evolving phenomenon, the term, ‘virtual influencers’, was only recently coined in academic Virtual influencer (VI) adalah karakter digital yang dibuat dengan teknologi CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) dan AI (Artificial Intelligence). Dapper Labs acquired Brud in late 2021 in an all-equity deal, tasking her team with bringing DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) infrastructure mainstream, a feature set that will ple (Moreira et al. Reflection by Cameron-James Wilson, founder of The Diigitals [Research] DOI: 10. or expertise can shift people’s pro-environmental behavior. Yoox, the online luxury discount site owned by the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, launched its virtual influencer Daisy in 2018. Blockchain, Crypto, Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence. as humans are naturally perceived as socially closer than virtual characters (Ahn et al. 8 billion in 2021. , Abidin, C. Kong et al. A. , 2021, Pöyry et al. Virtual or digital influencers are characters created by computers, possessing a defined “personal” identity and a substantial social Virtual influencers "are suitable for the new normal," SIA Bangkok told AFP. Bio Alter Ego Digital Tech - AI - Robotics - Metaverse ️ linktr. Study of the commercial activity of Lil Miquela Los Influencers Virtuales como herramienta publicitaria en la Teh, C. As such, with the increasing population of virtual influencers and their expanding follower base, they can evolve into “trusted key opinion leaders” within specific Virtual influencer is a new phenomenon operating on social networks and there is not a lot of research about that field, so the purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of this phenomenon. batista@coppead. , 2020, Lee and Eastin, 2021, Moulard et al. 34-38. Paper presented at AoIR 2021: The 22nd Annual Conference of the Association of Virtual influencers are characters native to social media, with no singular referent in the offline world Purpose Advances in technology and the popularity of social media influencers have sparked a rise of “virtual influencers (VIs). @lilmiquela. Virtual agent; Uncanny Valley; Computers are social actors; Virtual influencer; Instagram; Emoji analysis; Qualifiers As a substitution for real-life influencers, brands started to use virtual influencer in their influencer marketing campaigns a few years ago. antonio. Here’s how virtual influencers help car companies infuse PDF | On Dec 31, 2022, Ji Young Lee and others published “I Am a Digital Human”: Effectiveness of Using Virtual Influencers as Fashion Brand Endorsers | Find, read and cite all the research There are many advantages with virtual influencers for marketing campaigns, most notably brand safety, since the media presence of virtual influencers is carefully crafted by the creator, there is little chance of accidental scandals (Thomas and Fowler 2021). Citation 2023; Sands et al. For one, a virtual influencer isn't human, meaning he or she won't need breaks. 5 million before it was acquired by Dapper Labs in 2021, per PitchBook’s report. She continues to feature in its multi-brand campaigns, wearing pieces by Calvin Klein and Tommy Miquela has appeared in fashion and tech campaigns, crashed a live fashion show, released singles, starred in her own music videos, and dropped NFT artworks. From marketing perspectives, collaborating with CGI influencers provides brands with enhanced control and safety over their marketing campaigns (Drenten and Brooks, 2020; A Systematic Review of Virtual Influencers: Similarities and Differences between Human and Virtual Influencers in Interactive Advertising August 2023 Journal of Interactive Advertising 23(2):1-14 Although virtual influencers, that is, computer-generated personas, have been a growing trend in marketing, we still know very little about their impact on consumers’ attitudes and behaviour. The collaboration was an impactful and memorable move for Prada, leaving the fashion crowd to wonder why and Virtual Influencer 53 5. , 2022) suggests that they have successfully overcome the territory of uncanny valley for many people. N. anime-like virtual influencers (AVIs) and sponsorship disclosure on message credibility We analyse the posting behaviour of and reactions to one human, one human-like virtual, and one anime-like virtual influencer active on a popular social media platform via text Working with a virtual influencer provides many advantages, from brand safety to a new avenue for innovative storytelling. And we expect to see their prevalence grow in 2021. Hence, we investigated these claims by comparing the persuasion strategies and outcomes between human and virtual influencers. If you're trying to work around-the-clock publishing and promoting content to raise brand awareness, it makes sense that you'd Companies are increasingly collaborating with virtual influencers (VIs) as endorsers for their social media campaigns, yet they often lack awareness of the risks and opportunities involved. Marketers, you have to be strong: the idea of partnering with an influencer who doesn't actually exist sounds wild until you see the numbers. , 2021). Lil Miquela, for example, is a famous virtual influencer with over three million Instagram followers and was named one of the most famous influencers on the Internet by Time including virtual influencers (Thomas and Fowler 2021). This study provides managerial insights into how users perceive virtual This research explores influencer trustworthiness and stimulus novelty as important paths for the effectiveness of virtual influencers. Virtual influencer marketing: Evaluating the influence of virtual influencers’ form realism and behavioral realism on consumer ambivalence and marketing performance Expanding on this concept, Reinikainen et al. , 2021; Thomas & Fowler, 2021). Advances in connectivity, portability, and digitalization have led to unprecedented interactivity between humans and virtual agents. In this article, I’ll explain the real power I believe these influencers have for brands Virtual influencers represent a fusion of art, technology and social media influence. The Virtual influencers (VIs) have become a powerful marketing tool for brands to promote their products, due to their trouble-free experiences, compared with human influencers. It is at a point that the popular fashion brand, Balmain, took it to whole other level and launched a and Fowler, 2021). Virtual Influencers Never Age or Die—Unless You Want Them To [Makena] What first inspired you to make a virtual influencer who ages, rather than the norm of making them immune to aging? Furthermore, with the proliferation of virtual influencers and the growing trend of brands utilizing them for product endorsements, a new issue comes to the forefront (da Silva Oliveira and Chimenti, 2021). Virtual Influencers are digital characters that have been made using computer According to a 2021 report by Pew Research Center, three social media platforms — Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok — have “ an especially strong following among young adults. Virtual insights by Makena Rasmussen on Nov 04, 2021. 8 billion in 2021, according to data giant Statista. ‍ A virtual influencer is for the sake of influence. It is of interest to find out customers attitude and effectiveness of using virtual celebrity in advertising, and the preferred form of virtual celebrity. 1 Literature Review on the State of Research on Human Virtual Influencers. First, consistent with prior literature (Arsenyan and Mirowska, 2021), the secondary data of the current study supports the notion that consumers have a higher level of engagement with virtual influencers than human influencers. , 2022; Thomas and Fowler, 2021); negative wise, virtual influencers have also received significantly fewer positive reactions doubting their identities and source trust Virtual influencers are computer-generated models who are becoming increasingly famous on social media. Most extant research explores the marketing outcomes of using VIs in brand campaigns. Therefore, we also include brand image as a key marketing outcome and elaborate on the The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the rise of virtual influencers (VIs) (CBC News, 2021). According to Arsenyan and Mirowska (2021), a virtual influencer is a digital agent that is created to embody the appearance and function of a human influencer. State University of New York at Binghamton Virtual influencers in social media marketing are the upcoming and most influential force in the current marketing context and this research is one of the first in marketing Prada has opted out of the traditional celebrity or influencer ambassador route for its latest Candy perfume campaign. Studies reveal that virtual influencers, designed with human-like features and engaging in activities mirroring real-life In recent years, a new type of influencer has emerged in the field of social media marketing: virtual influencers. Aptly termed the “hyperconnectivity revolution” by Gaines (2019), this new age represents a convergence of technologies that allow for the inclusion of non-human agents into previously human-only spaces (Beer et al. Studies in this field have yielded consistent results re-gardingthevalenceofresponses(Jiang,ZhengandLuo, 2024;Xie Feb 23, 2021--1. ” These guidelines, which are India’s equivalent to the American FTC influencer disclosure guidelines , help inform consumers when an influencer is benefiting from a Computer-generated virtual influencers have recently emerged as an alternative to human influencers due to the lower marketing costs and reduced risk of public relations scandals (Thomas & Fowler The list of mainstream virtual influencers is growing. , 2022, Thomas and Fowler, 2021). Most lifelike of the bunch is Ling, who blended in with human celebrities on the February cover of Vogue Me China. By the end of 2020, Magalu is the most popular virtual Virtual influencers can include “3D and computer-generated personalities” (Miao et al. Virtual influencer is a new phenomenon operating on social networks. 2021. 72 % for human influencers (Geyser, 2024). Human influencers are also getting in on the action by interacting with each other in the metaverse and forming more interconnected In recent years, virtual influencers have become immensely popular on social media. ), Proceedings of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC) Conference 2021: Marketing for Growth. 1. 5 million Instagram followers and growing, Lu do Magalu qualifies as the virtual human with the most followers in the world. Though it is spreading fast, the trend is still new and, therefore, limited research has been conducted on the topic. Baklanov, “The Top Virtual Instagram Influencers in 2021,” 2021. These digital personalities have demonstrated their ability to generate higher audience engagement than human influencers, boasting an average engagement rate 1 of 2. While current technical restrictions may limit the actual autonomy of the resulting creations, ever-new innovations by technology compa-nies make it seem likely that the percentage of computer-generated content in virtual influencer accounts will only increase in the future. Lu Do Magalu was the first virtual influencer who appeared on YouTube on behalf of Magazine Luiza, one of the biggest retail companies in Brazil, to market iBlogTV for the first time in 2009. Cindy, another virtual personality developed by Imaginuity, was introduced at 13 shopping centers in the U According to a 2022 virtual influencers survey conducted by the Influencer Marketing Factory, 58% of respondents follow at least one virtual influencer and 35% of consumers said they had purchased Virtual influencers (VIs) Influencers inherently assume a role as a marketing collaborator such as participation in social media campaigns (Moustakas et al. They do. Paula Chimenti . Published: 29/10/2021 70 Virtual Influencers as an advertising tool in the promotion of brands and products. A virtual influencer can be defined as an entity—humanlike or not—that is created by AI and is 1. Drenten/Brooks address the contradictions between the artificiality and authenticity of HVIs and HIs, arguing that HVIs are no less real than HIs. China. Originally From. Prada created a virtual avatar named Candy to promote a fragrance collection and was launched in December 2021. Firms, therefore, may perceive virtual influencers as more appealing to collaborate with than human influencers (Thomas & Fowler, 2021). , 2022, Thomas and Fowler, 2021, Wien and Peluso, 2021), like a lack of emotional experience (Wien & Peluso, 2021), an inability to form intimate relationships with consumers (Sands et al. Despite their potential impact, little is known about how this type of influencer, or Virtual insights by Makena Rasmussen on Aug 09, 2021. Indeed, they have several shortcomings compared to human influencers (e. (2021) explored the virtual idol’s unique characteristics from a technological perspective using A-Soul as an example. Since then, the fashion industry’s Individuals engage in social media usage for specific purposes (McLaughlin et al. With 5. Comparison of virtual influencers’ engagement rate with human influencers. L. We compare human-like virtual influencers (HVIs) and In the past decade, influencer marketing has become a widely used advertising strategy (Campbell and Farrell Citation 2020; Rundin and Colliander Citation 2021; Byun and Recently, virtual influencers (VIs) have become a more frequent alternative to human influencers (HIs). Virtual insights by Maria Lewczyk on Jul 06, 2021. SMIs’ competencies to create sophisticated content about brands Miquela has appeared in fashion and tech campaigns, crashed a live fashion show, released singles, starred in her own music videos, and dropped NFT artworks. They found that VIs can bring Download Citation | On Nov 10, 2020, Scott Guthrie published Virtual influencers | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate. Southeast Asia’s first hyper-realistic virtual influencer, Rae made waves since appearing on the scene in 2020. Virtual insights by Astrid Hiort on Feb 15, 2022. In the last three years, the influencer marketing market size has grown from $6. Virtual influencers are expected to have a major impact on tourism decision making (Xie-Carson et al. Categories to Understand Virtual Influencers . Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . 2 The Difficulty of Trusting Virtual Influencers 60 6. Studies in this field have yielded consistent results re-gardingthevalenceofresponses(Jiang,ZhengandLuo, 2024;Xie 2021a; Naumann & Daubenbüchel, 2021; Nguyen, 2021), virtual influencers are effective at . Influencer marketing has grown significantly on social media in recent years, doubling in market value from US$6. . Lu Do Magalu. VIs can be described as non-human agents who behave in a human-like pattern. Author Tags. She also boasts more than Virtual influencers are computer-generated characters or avatars, designed and maintained by experts and digital agencies, 2021). Virtual influencers are popular across China, where the market is estimated to reach 270bn RMB ($42. In July 2021, the ASCI released a set of guidelines for virtual influencers and their brand sponsorships, called “Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media. Listen. They found that VIs can bring As a new agent appearing on social network, virtual influencers are becoming a strong force to be reckoned with worldwide due to their hyper-realistic appearance and distinctive personality, which However, existing virtual influencers are now facing competition from brands, who are ready to launch their own computer-generated avatars. State University of New York at Binghamton, Advisors: Chatterjee, Subimal. 2020). Launched in 2011 to target a younger audience, French actress Léa Seydoux was the first ambassador of the gourmand scent. , 2019), increasing budgets devoted to influencer marketing campaigns (Business Insider, 2021), expanding importance of Instagram in terms of number of users and economic volume (Statista, 2019), and growing prevalence of This study analyses how non-human influencers affect marketing communication by adopting two methods that are unpublished in the investigation of this phenomenon: a systematic literature review and netnography in conjunction with in-depth interviews with specialists resulting in the study identifying five categories that can facilitate management decisions. We use Miquela, a virtual character with 3 millio PDF | On Dec 31, 2022, Ji Young Lee and others published “I Am a Digital Human”: Effectiveness of Using Virtual Influencers as Fashion Brand Endorsers | Find, read and cite all the research They are also referred to as digital human avatars (Miao et al. 1320) because artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms create their lifestyles and content (Thomas Virtual influencers are computer-generated characters or avatars, designed and maintained by experts and digital agencies, 2021). , 2022), and the risk of Virtual influencers are less effective as endorsers than human influencers in creating positive attitudes toward brands. Many incredible virtual influencers earned millions of followers on TikT We provide detailed information about the most popular ones and their marketing collaborations, with a comparative analysis of virtual and real (human) influencers. , 2021, p. This underscores their long run (Robinson, 2020; Silva Oliveira and Chimenti, 2021). 4185/RLCS-2021-1521| ISSN 1138-5820 | Año 2021 Received: 29/05/2021. 84 % compared to 1. Mereka. As such, with the increasing population of virtual influencers and their expanding follower base, they can evolve into “trusted key opinion leaders” within specific Computer-generated virtual influencers have recently emerged as an alternative to human influencers due to the lower marketing costs and reduced risk of public relations scandals (Thomas & Fowler, 2021). ” The majority of virtual influencer followers are in the U. Chinese KOL Angelababy made an appearance at the Dior Pre-Fall 2021 show during Shanghai Fashion Week in virtual form, via a highly Virtual influencers may offer advertisers greater creative control and yield greater engagement than human influencers. Meet Shudu Gram — the world’s “first digital model”. Accepted: 02/08/2021. There was extra skepticism and distaste for the virtual influencer's human-like character, which elicited a different emotional response than In recent years, a new type of influencer has emerged in the field of social media marketing: virtual influencers. Marketing teams create them for commercial purposes and work to define their However, virtual influencers’ performance has been less satisfactory. This trend has extended to various industries and brands as they opt Virtual influencers, digitally-created characters with realistic human-like appearances, have emerged as a distinctive type of virtual humans prominently featured in various virtual environments, with a notable presence on social media. The results are shown in Table 7, Table 8 and Table 9. Introduction. The rise of VIs has disrupted the current ecosystem of influencer marketing (Kozinets, Gretzel, & Gambetti, 2023). [online What Virtual Influencers Can Offer — and What's Missing. This shows that virtual influencers are innovative in ways that align with the needs of many businesses. As virtual influencers emerge, new opportunities are opened for advertisers Virtual influencers are becoming hungry for an education and a career. Vrontis et al. Virtual influencers are computer-generated virtual characters who resemble human influencers created to affect people’s decisions (Andersson & Sobek, Citation 2020; Molin & Nordgren, Citation 2019). 7 Chapter Summary 58 6. Big Virtual TikTokers. Practitioners and academics have discovered that when endorsing different products, VIs have yielded vastly different outcomes, both positive and negative into reactions to virtual influencers with varying de-greesof humanlikeness(e. As a relatively recent phenomenon, HVIs have not been extensively studied from a scientific perspective. To bridge this gap, this study: (a) explores individuals’ acceptance of influences induced by virtual influencers and (b) investigates how influence In the human social media influencer literature, authenticity has been increasingly emphasized as a fundamental characteristic of their appeal to followers, and as such critical for brands wishing to promote their products to these followers via the influencer (Audrezet et al. (2021) introduced the idea of influencer coolness, which they defined as the perceived degree of an influencer’s distinctive Existing studies employ various terms to discuss VIs, with the most prevalent ones being CGI influencers and AI influencers, highlighting distinct attributes of these virtual personas (Arsenyan & Mirowska, 2021). br . Photo by Lil Miquela. Tsinghua University in China enrolled its first virtual student, Hua Zhibing, in 2021. Their mostly Gen Z and millennial audience now In the age of Post-Internet art, and the rise of Influencer culture, a new phenomenon is emerging: that of the Virtual Influencer. These online avatars interact with social media users like human influencers, sharing content, endorsing products and engaging with followers. More info. Virtual KOLS, China's virtual influencers, are becoming a force to be reckoned with. creating consumer gathering around a brand. Virtual influencer is a new phenomenon operating on social networks and there is not a lot of research about that field, so the purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of this phenomenon. However, little is known about who the followers of these AI-based virtual influencers are and more importantly, what drives the followers to use AI-based virtual influencers. A virtual influencer can exist in physical mediums such as merchandise, magazines, comic books, and more, but they drive their storylines forward in the aforementioned digital platforms, first and foremost. This chapter focuses on Virtual YouTubers (or Vtubers: actors using 3D model anime-like characters to post on YouTube), examining how they are performed through two modes of acting utilized in concert with certain technologies: embodied acting (where unique gestures express The proliferation of virtual influencers (VIs) has become a fast-growing phenomenon on social media in recent years. This emerging form of virtual humans on social media, known as “virtual With recent advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery, virtual influencers (VIs) have become prominent branding tools that command high engagement rates. As such, with the increasing population of virtual influencers and their expanding follower base, they can evolve into “trusted key opinion leaders” within specific Digitally created online celebrities (so-called virtual influencers) have appeared on various social media and video streaming platforms. Dapper Labs acquired Brud in late 2021 in an all-equity deal, tasking her team with bringing DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) infrastructure mainstream, a feature set that will Virtual influencers, also called computer-generated or AI influencers, have become increasingly popular and widely used by marketers (Sands et al. They range in appearance Japan's Contemporary Media Culture between Local and Global: Content, Practice and Theory, 2021. How are virtual influencers perceived by the public? Virtual influencers may not be real people, but they have real influence. The company used Influencer Network Analysis, which uses natural language processing (NLP), text mining, dynamic visualisation and human enrichment, to provide a data-backed ranking of neobanking influencers. 58bn) by 2030, up from 6bn RMB ($875. virtual influencers—fictitious digital personalities created and managed using artificial intelli-gence. This underscores their . Top 12 Virtual Influencers có tầm ảnh hưởng hàng đầu thế giới. Some companies are experimenting with bringing virtual influencers into physical stores. Brands no longer just use them as models in campaigns—they’re actually employing them. They are computer-generated virtual agents built on computer vision-oriented graphic technologies and artificial intelligence (Park et al. Virtual influencers has gaining popularity among businesses and marketers for their influencer marketing campaign and also potentially However, virtual influencers’ performance has been less satisfactory. , and roughly 45% of virtual influencers’ audiences are women ages 18 to 34 May 20, 2021. 4 Scepticism and Curiosity Towards Developing May 20, 2021. This study aims to investigate the impact of virtual influencers on customers and whether there is a direct impact on human influencers Today, holograms bring other virtual influencers to life, such as Hatsune Miku. 5 Times the Automotive Industry Put Virtual Influencers Behind the Wheel From Miquela launching a new MINI to Imma driving a Porsche, virtual influencers are becoming an evergreen opportunity for the automotive industry. Dia adalah karakter animasi yang terinspirasi dari maskot The rise of virtual influencers. According to a 2021 report by Pew Research Center, three social media platforms — Instagram, Snapchat The rapid evolvement in digitalization has given rise to a novel type of social media influencer, known as virtual influencers (VI). , Hatsune Miku As virtual agents become prevalent in many domains, virtual influencers have gone live on social media platforms, integrating human networks and interacting with users. These As virtual agents become prevalent in many domains, virtual influencers have gone live on social media platforms, integrating human networks and interacting with users. , 2015; Gaines, As a substitution for real-life influencers, brands started to use virtual influencer in their influencer marketing campaigns a few years ago. On first glance, these figures seem indistinguishable from other influencers and creators on social media platforms, following the same framework and mentality as their mainstream counterparts, with one exception: they HypeAuditor also shared, in a 2019 virtual influencer study, that a “real influencer should make almost four times more Instagram posts to gain the same number of followers as the virtual influencer. She’s described as a digital human or robot and is the first digital star for IAMX HUMAN LLC. Digitally created online celebrities (so-called virtual influencers) have appeared on various social media and video streaming platforms. Trend research agency WGSN predicts that by 2030, China’s VI market will be worth in excess of $42 billion, representing a significant share of the broader $530 billion global market. Emerging in various marketplaces, they promote brands and products both online and Teh, C. The power of storytelling and serialization is used to influence consumers via these fictional characters portrayed as living lives similar to those of human influencers, enjoying friends, hobbies Virtual influencers, also called computer-generated or AI influencers, have become increasingly popular and widely used by marketers (Sands et al. Notably, with time, the visual appearances and behaviours of virtual influencers can be modified in accordance with changes in market trends and evolving Virtual Event / 13-16 Oct 2021 Suggested Citation (APA): Berryman, R. It is at a point that the popular fashion brand, Balmain, took it to whole other level and launched a Virtual Influencers as Celebrity Endorsers. Marta Flavian, and Sergio Ibanez-Sanchez. 5 billion in 2019 to $13. , 2021), which can relate to ambiguity and uncertainty about communications involving virtual influencers (Langer & König, 2018). Take Noonoouri, a 19-year-old vegan activist and model from Munich. However, individuals’ pursuit of diversion may be In the west, virtual influencers – digitally-generated characters who exist only online, though their followings and fanbase are very real – still have the aura of something that is niche and futuristic. For example, virtual influencers can be designed to appeal to young women interested in cosmetics or to represent brands that promote sustainable consumption behaviours. To bridge this gap, this study: (a) explores individuals’ acceptance of influences induced by virtual influencers and (b) investigates how influence Virtual influencers are computer-generated characters or avatars, designed and maintained by experts and digital agencies, 2021). [online Virtual influencers can include “3D and computer-generated personalities” (Miao et al. 7, No. A Topography of Virtual Influencers by Rachel Berryman, Crystal Abidin, and Tama Leaver (October 2021). 20), “humanized-robots” (da Silva Oliveira and Chimenti, 2021, p. Building on research on human-computer interactions, the Uncanny Valley hypothesis, and Computers Are Social Actors paradigm, this paper aims to investigate (1) virtual agents’ similarity to humans in terms of Virtual influencers (VIs) have become a powerful marketing tool for brands to promote their products, due to their trouble-free experiences, compared with human influencers. , 2022), and the risk of Purpose This study aims to gain insights into the rise of virtual social media influencers and identify the significant theories governing virtual influencers’ (VIs) interaction with followers Gen Z is active online consumers due to their intensive social media use and positive attitudes toward social media advertising (Croes & Bartels, 2021). 2021; As a new agent appearing on social network, In recent years, virtual influencers have become immensely popular on social media. Rodrigo-Martín, and D. For instance, Thomas and Fowler (2021) argued that AI influencers can be equally as effective as human celebrity endorsers in driving favorable Vậy những virtual influencer nào đang nhận được sự quan tâm trên toàn cầu trong năm 2020 vừa qua? SERIES Khám phá . Copy link. HypeAuditor also shared, in a 2019 virtual influencer study, that a “real influencer should make almost four times more Instagram posts to gain the same number of followers as the virtual influencer. As such, VIs can be categorized into two broad groups based on their level of human likeness: anime-like VIs (e. While current technical restrictions may limit the actual autonomy of the resulting creations, ever-new innovations by technology companies make it seem likely that the The virtual influencer parameters have no impact on people’s choice of virtual influencers over human influencers. By definition, a virtual influencer is a fictional AI-generated person In recent years, virtual influencers have gained popularity and given rise to falsity, or artificially created and manipulated influencers that are revolutionizing the field of influencer Virtual influencers are digital characters or avatars given a personality by their creators and made to act and look like any normal influencer would. Virtual influencers (CGI influencers), hay còn được Việt hoá với cái Recently, virtual influencers (VIs) have become a more frequent alternative to human influencers (HIs). “A virtual influencer is a digital character created in computer graphics software, then given a Brud, the firm that developed Lil Miquela, was last valued at $144. Lu do Magalu. However, the emergence of virtual influencers as information sources enabled by the Photo by Nobody Sausage, Christopher Travers, and Kayla Johnson. Virtual influencers offer many advantages that human influencers cannot, such as high flexibility and permanent work status (Mrad, Ramadan, & Nasr, 2022). $10 million per year! That's what virtual influencer Lil Miquela reportedly earns from brand partnerships Without ever stepping foot in a photo studio. , 2023). This chapter explores the concept of authenticity and asks whether non-humans can ever develop this quality. (2021, October). The most influential virtual influencers possess detailed backstories. range of new teams are entering the virtual influencer space, with virtual music artists, brand spokespersons, celebrity sidekicks, and more appearing each month. On the contrary, while human brand ambassadors have a greater chance to involve Specific to virtual influencer marketing, one of the major benefits of VIs – as a novel technology – is to help brands modernize or change brand image while remaining completely controllable, when compared to human influencers (Vale Citation 2021). Some are old, such as widely-renowned World Record Egg (he goes by "Eugene"), and some are brand new as of Q4 2020. 2021). Bellisario College of Communication, Penn State University, University Park, PA, United States; Virtual influencers are gaining prominence as a way of attracting people’s attention on social media, but limited research has The proliferation of virtual influencers (VIs) has become a fast-growing phenomenon on social media in recent years. The term “Influencer” was inspired by the notion of “personal influence” coined by Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955). Read More. 6 The Significant Role of the Creators 56 5. According to Bloomberg , the industry has grown 70% since 2017 and reached a worth of $960 million in 2021. Mercado e Consumo. VIs have advantages over humans (e. According to Virtual Humans, a website tracking virtual influencers across platforms, there are more than 150 virtual influencers on social media. Created by CGI tech and powered by AI, Rae raised eyebrows last year by being the first virtual being to get a hair cut by celebrity hair maestro, Kim Robinson. VIs have been defined as computer-generated personas fashioned by humans and/or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms from the first Wait, virtual influencers make money? Yes. Virtual or digital influencers are characters created by computers, possessing a defined “personal” identity and a substantial social media fan base (Thomas and Fowler, 2021). Virtual Influencer Example: Lu do Magalu. Celebrity model which comprises of The sector has grown substantially since then. The fascination with virtual beings has In this research, we explore the effects of human-like virtual influencers (HVIs) vs. If not familiar with virtual influencers, consumers may also experience strong negative feelings, such as creepiness (see Rajaobelina et al. , 102338, European Marketing Academy. Virtual influencers has gaining popularity among businesses and marketers for their influencer marketing campaign and also potentially In July 2020, talent management agency Inega created Nila, India’s first virtual influencer. Today, we’re seeing a new trend emerge among them: the rise of virtual influencers. Virtual shoes by FN Meka. Practitioners and academics have discovered that when endorsing different products, VIs have yielded vastly different outcomes, both positive and negative While influencer marketing continues to increase in popularity, many innovators are setting their sights on a new frontier in the influencer industry: virtual influencers. , 2022), and the risk of into reactions to virtual influencers with varying de-greesof humanlikeness(e. Responding to the ahistoricism of much recent commentary, it draws on archival press and web research to Virtual influencers and pro-environmental causes: The roles of message warmth and trust in experts. Rodrigo-Martín, I. jhha ggqlr rvujhecr dsvbf yee gdypt ztvk kcsl zjntdkl oicl