Virtual influencers have arrived. A new model of coexistence is here to stay in the digital ecosystem. The rules of the game on the Internet are changing once again and content creators will have to share neighborhood with influencers generated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). A challenge for brands and their ambassadors, both in search of the perfect alchemy to reach the end user.
Lu do Magalu is a Brazilian influencer who has amassed 6.8 million followers on Instagram with a primarily content account. lifestyle. But she is not just another influencer, she was created by the Brazilian retail company Magazine Luiza as part of the brand's strategy to extend its digital commerce.
His compatriot CB da Casas Bahia, with 3.7 million followers, defines himself as passionate about diversity, gaming, pop culture and sustainability. He is also the work and grace of the IAl, in this case, to promote the furniture and appliances of the Casas Bahia retail chain.
Aitana Lopez was created by an agency from Barcelona that manages her as a talent in its portfolio of influencers and connects with her more than 225 thousand followers with content of lifestyle, gaming and fitness style of.
Virtual influencers or influencer avatars
These are some examples of so-called virtual influencers, also known as digital influencers or influencer avatars, characters generated and animated using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D animation and motion capture using graphic software to which a personality is assigned. and even a narrative with which one presents and interacts on social networks.
Digital marketing has found in these influencers a way to connect with audiences who, although they know that they have been created artificially and in some cases specifically by a brand, do not hesitate to follow them and interact with them.
In the image and likeness… of his followers
According to MIT Technology Review “Social networks promote credibility based on identity rather than community. And when trust is based on identity, authority is transferred to influencers.. Because they look and sound like their followers, influencers become trusted messengers on some topics they don't know much about.”
Virtual influencers, as MIT states, “look like their followers and sound like them”, have the tastes of their followers since the AI collects thousands of data about the targets it wants to reach to create virtual influencers. These influencers do and say things that many users identify with.
Virtual influencers participate in social media trends, engage in advertising and marketing, and explore art and culture. In some cases they even promote activism and social awareness.
María, the first Mexican virtual influencer
María, with 83.5 thousand followers, is the first Mexican virtual influencer. In addition to her lifestyle content, she gives voice to protest issues such as gender equality. While Imma, with 395 thousand followers and created in Japan, is a fashion prescriber and disseminator of Japanese culture.
Although it is interesting to see how AI has facilitated the integration of virtual influencers in various areas, the experience of brands and users with this type of prescribers still fails to replace the emotional connection expected in collaborations with real-life opinion leaders. bone.
A new digital coexistence
Influencer marketing continues to grow. But also, to evolve. It is an industry that moves a lot of money and is expected to reach a value of 24 billion dollars by the end of 2024.
According to a recent study, 62 percent of brands or advertisers are open to partnering with virtual influencers created by AI, but only 27.5 percent have worked with them.
In favor of virtual influencers is that when they are created by a brand or an agency, their creators have more control over their content. In some cases they can be cheaper in terms of the value of collaborations, travel and expenses.
The virtual influencers that accumulate the most followers focus on sectors such as fashion and beauty; entertainment and music; technology and video games; lifestyle and travel; Health & Wellness.
Some of them have become real celebrities. Noonoouri, with 424 thousand followers, has been the first to collaborate with renowned brands such as Dior. Also, Miquela Sousa or Lu do Magalu do campaigns with well-known brands Lacoste or Samsung.
Despite not being human, virtual influencers interact with their followers through posts and comments, creating a sense of personal connection. In terms of marketing and advertising they offer great flexibility as they can be adapted to represent whatever brands need.
What about human influencers?
However, they can be burdened by an aesthetic and attitude that is at times homogeneous and very distant from the authenticity of a human brand ambassador. Likewise, they lack an element of identification with their followers, which is none other than the very fact of being people, with the ups and downs, contradictions and emotional complexity that generate genuine relationships between influencers and their audiences.
The truth is that the constant evolution of AI technology and opportunities in influencer marketing lead the industry to explore new frontiers, but not necessarily to erase them completely. Let us remember that television did not kill cinema nor did the record player kill the radio. Let's embrace advances and innovation from an integrative and humanistic point of view in which brands, influencers and technology continue to have the true protagonist of this story at the center, which is none other than the end consumer.
Ismael El-Qudsi CEO and co-founder of Internet República, one of the main digital marketing agencies in Spain, since November 2011. He is also co-founder and CEO of the influencer marketing platform SocialPubli, founded in 2015, which currently operates in 9 countries.