Virtual influencer: what they are and how they work in marketing

You're watching Instagram stories and stop at one about a makeup product. The influencer in the video looks surprisingly real, and her speech is convincing. However, something feels different—something subtle you can’t quite identify: she’s a virtual influencer, created with artificial intelligence (AI). 

As the line between the real and the virtual blurs, these AI influencers are redefining marketing and social media interaction, offering a new dimension of manufactured authenticity. Contradictory, isn’t it? In this post, we discuss the topic—keep reading! 

Why do virtual influencers emerge?

The rise of the virtual influencer is the result of several phenomena, mainly technological. First, social media platforms continue to grow in popularity among users every day. This has opened the door for massive connections between influencers and their audiences—a fertile ground that brands have learned to capitalize on. 

Along these lines, the technological boost of recent years has paved the way for new ways of creating and doing, and artificial intelligence is a clear example. It is a technology that has evolved to the point of allowing the creation of increasingly realistic and believable virtual characters. The combination of computer graphics and AI algorithms has paved the way for virtual influencers. 

Added to this are brands seeking new ways to sell and position themselves in an increasingly competitive market. In this sense, a virtual influencer powered by AI can attract and maintain the attention of large audiences, becoming a powerful tool for marketing and advertising campaigns. 

All of these factors have served as catalysts for the emergence of artificial personalities. They are virtual influencers—designed to be perfect, to captivate and persuade the audience, interact with followers, answer questions, and promote products with an efficiency only technology can offer. 

Virtual influencer vs. Real influencer: differences

Based on what we’ve discussed so far, we can say that AI-generated influencers are virtual personalities created using advanced technologies such as computer graphics and machine learning algorithms. These are characters that don’t exist physically but do interact on social networks and generate engagement with their followers.  

These same traits are what distinguish them from real-life influencers. Let’s first look at the advantages offered by the virtual influencer compared to the real one:  

• Brand consistency: virtual influencers maintain a consistent image and message since they’re specifically designed for that purpose. In contrast, human influencers naturally evolve over time, which can make consistency difficult as their tastes or opinions change.
• Availability: AI-generated influencers are always available for campaigns and collaborations. Humans, of course—and legally—can’t work 24 hours a day.
• Innovation: without a doubt, virtual influencers are a product of technological advancement and can attract audiences interested in innovation and digital culture.
• Control: brands have complete control over their actions and the content they publish—they create the virtual influencer and decide what they say, how, and when.

Disadvantages of virtual influencers

• Perfection: virtual influencers are designed not to make mistakes—they must be perfect. This can turn off users who seek relatability and real experiences.
• Lack of authenticity: related to the above, in many cases—especially for certain brands—real-life stories are needed, something artificial intelligence cannot replicate. For instance, if a brand sells a skincare product, would you trust a virtual character who clearly hasn’t tried it and doesn’t know the results?
• Lack of empathy: real influencers can express emotions and empathize with their audience in ways that virtual characters cannot. This can weaken trust in virtual influencers.
• Limited flexibility: in live events or challenging situations, virtual influencers have more difficulty improvising, adapting, or redirecting a conversation.

Benefits for brands of using virtual influencers

So, if we weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a virtual influencer, is it worth it for brands to invest in them? The answer is: it depends. It depends on the brand’s goals, target audience, and the product or service being sold.  

Below, we explain the benefits that AI-generated influencers can bring to brands:  

• Total control over image and message: as mentioned, unlike human influencers, virtual ones are fully designed and managed by brands, allowing perfect coherence between image and message.
• Global reach and viral potential: virtual influencers can reach a worldwide audience and have the potential to go viral quickly, expanding the impact of marketing campaigns. However, this largely depends on the AI team behind them.
• Unique and engaging content: these digital personalities can be tailored to match a brand’s aesthetic, creating creative and engaging content that captures audience attention.
• Time and resource savings: working with virtual influencers can be more efficient in terms of time and resources compared to collaborations with human influencers.
• Innovation and modernity: using virtual influencers can position a brand as innovative and at the forefront of technological and marketing trends.

Some examples of virtual influencers

The first step toward the “boom” of virtual influencers came in 2016 with the creation of Lil Miquela by the company Brud. She has a visual aesthetic similar to a real person and shares content related to fashion, music, and lifestyle on her social networks. On Instagram alone, she has 2.6 million followers.

Meanwhile, in 2017, the “digital supermodel” Shudu Gram was created by photographer Cameron-James Wilson. Shudu has gone viral on social media for her stunning beauty and unique style. Although Shudu is a digital avatar, her appearance resembles that of an African woman. This has sparked controversy over whether it’s appropriate for a white man (her creator) to profit from the image of a Black woman without being part of that community.

Noonoouri joined Instagram on February 1, 2018, and has been growing ever since. In this case, she is a virtual influencer who doesn’t imitate human appearance but stands out for the quality of her fashion-related content. She was created by graphic designer Joerg Zuber and is known for her distinctive style, which has led her to collaborate with major brands. She’s also the first virtual influencer to sign a record deal as a singer.

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