With the continuous development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, motion capture, and virtual reality, more and more avatars appear on social networks**, attracting a large number of fans and brand collaborations with realistic appearances, personalized styles, and rich content. These virtual influencers can not only model people's lifestyles, but also create unique works of art and even participate in social issues and public welfare activities. Their influence and commercial value continue to increase, and they have become a new force in the content creator market.
The representative of virtual influencersThe concept of virtual influencers is not new, as back in 2007, the Brazilian retail company Magazine Luiza launched an avatar ambassador, Lu Do Magalu, as the company's "mascot" and digital expert to promote and recommend products and services. Today, Lu Do Magalu has more than 5.8 million followers on Instagram, partnering with several well-known brands to become the star of virtual influencers.
In 2016, the American startup Brud created Lil Miquela, a freckled Brazilian-American who is a **person and model by profession. Lil Miquela showcased her daily life, circle of friends, and romances on social**, and has also collaborated with high-end fashion brands such as Dior, Prada, and Calvin Klein, and even launched her own NFT collection. At present, Lil Miquela has attracted more than 3.1 million followers on Instagram and has an annual income of more than 70 million yuan.
In 2018, game developer Riot Games launched a virtual K-pop girl group, K Da, featuring four female characters from League of Legends. K Da made his debut at the opening ceremony of the World Finals, and his song "Pop Star" received more than 400 million views on YouTube and topped the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart. K Da has also partnered with brands such as Gucci to launch limited-edition apparel and accessories.
In 2020, Japan's virtual idol company Hololive Production's Shirakami Fukiyuki opened a live streaming mode on Bilibili, interacted with the anchor Wei Ya of **, and recommended various products for fans, including cosmetics, clothing and food. The number of live broadcasts of blowing snow on white exceeded 1 million, and the sales volume exceeded 3 million yuan.
Advantages and challenges of virtual influencersVirtual influencers have incomparable advantages over real influencers. First of all, virtual influencers can customize their appearance, personality and style according to the needs of the brand and the market, and become the perfect brand spokesperson. Secondly, virtual influencers can cooperate with filming and production anytime, anywhere and in any way, regardless of time, place and conditions. Thirdly, virtual influencers can avoid the negative**, moral hazard and legal disputes that real influencers may face, and maintain a good image and reputation. Finally, virtual influencers can use artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve the quality and effectiveness of their content and increase fan interaction and conversion.
However, there are also some challenges and difficulties that virtual influencers face. First of all, the creation and operation of virtual influencers requires high costs and complex technology, which not everyone and every company can afford and master. Secondly, the authenticity and humanization of virtual Internet celebrities need to be improved, and many viewers lack a sense of identity and trust in virtual Internet celebrities, and even have feelings of resistance and disgust. Thirdly, there is no clear legal regulation and protection for the copyright and intellectual property rights of virtual Internet celebrities, which may lead to controversy and disputes. Finally, there is no consensus and oversight of the social responsibility and ethical standards of virtual influencers, which can be misleading and harmful.
The future and trends of virtual influencersThe rise of virtual influencers has undoubtedly brought new opportunities and challenges to the content creator market, as well as new competition and pressure to real influencers. The relationship between virtual influencers and real influencers is not necessarily a zero-sum game, but may also be complementary and cooperative. Virtual influencers can learn from the experience and skills of real influencers to improve their content level and fan stickiness. Real influencers can use and combine the technology and resources of virtual influencers to expand their own content forms and market space.
The future of virtual influencers will be more diverse and innovative. With the advancement of technology and the development of the market, virtual influencers will no longer be limited to a single platform and field, but will be involved in more ** and industries, such as games, movies, ** education, medical care, etc. Virtual influencers will no longer be a single individual and image, but form more groups and communities, such as virtual idol groups, virtual families, virtual social networks, etc. Virtual influencers will no longer be passive recipients and performers, but active participants and creators, such as virtual influencers' NFTs, virtual influencers' DAOs, virtual influencers' fan co-creation, etc.
The era of virtual influencers has come, and what kind of impact and changes they will bring to our lives and society is worthy of our attention and consideration.