When you browse through the Instagram account of Kyra, you would be hardly surprised at the description in the author bio, “Dream chaser, model and traveler”, which looks like the description that would fit any young celebrity influencer. Followed by 1.49 lakh followers, with clear skin and impeccable style, Kyra looks like the perfect role model for young Indians. Except that Kyra does not actually exist, she is a virtual creation, and India’s first virtual influencer. While Kyra is India’s first virtual influencer, globally, virtual influencers are the rage and are increasingly preferred by marketers. A brainchild of tech firms and creative artists, virtual influencers are characters that can have near-human like appearances.

Virtual influencers such as Lu do Magalu (6 million followers on Instagram), Lil Miquela (3 million followers) and Guggimon (1.5 million followers) are just some examples of global virtual influencers, and this number is set to grow at a fast pace. This is corroborated by consulting and research firm, Gartner, which says that by 2026, CMOs will dedicate 30 per cent of their influencer and celebrity budgets to virtual influencers. The research firm also states that a growing share of the USD14 billion that marketers currently spend annually on influencers is going towards virtual influencers. These virtual influencers can also generate 3 times the engagement of a human influencer by captivating consumers through their digital and narrative-led personas, according to HypeAuditor.

In a survey on virtual influencers, The Influencer Marketing Factory found out 58 per cent of users followed at least one virtual influencer; 27 per cent of users followed virtual influencers for their content, 19 per cent for the storytelling, and 15 per cent because they inspired them and 35 per cent of responders said they have bought a product or service promoted by a virtual influencer.

The reasons for the preference are clear – virtual influencers can be controlled and can do everything possible that human influencers cannot. Virtual influencers can also offer a significantly higher percentage of engagement rates than real influencers. With advances in AI, virtual influencers look real and resemble humans. Virtual influencers also do not have any controversies unlike celebrities, where their actions in their real lives can impact the future position of brands. We have seen several cases in India, where brands have taken the brunt of a wrong comment or action taken by a celebrity.

For brands, virtual influencers can be used for creating significant strategic advantage, as they offer not only greater control, but also lesser costs than the costs associated with celebrities. This allows marketers or firms to experiment with different innovative use cases -- The World Health Organisation for instance has collaborated with Knox Frost, a 21-year-old virtual robot to spread awareness of covid. Another innovative example is that of Nila, a virtual digital supermodel created by artist and talent management agency, Inega, to experiment with the changing world of fashion and brand endorsements. As we can see, there are also no limits to creativity, as brands can use virtual influencers to assume any identity. Imagine in a country like India, a brand using a virtual influencer to shoot an entire campaign in different languages at the same time. As everything is digital, there are no limits, and everything can be experimented.

Another big reason for the rise in popularity of virtual influencers is their ability to adapt. They can be customised or personalised to the needs of the marketer, and make it look more trustworthy and relatable to common people. They can be moulded according to the content, and can fit the story of the narrator like water adapts to any container. The result – the content looks more genuine and natural and results in quantifiable results. For example, imagine a virtual influencer proudly singing our national anthem on 15th August, sharing a video performing a Yoga session or sharing a popular dance step from a recent movie. As a marketer, you can align the virtual influencer to your brand completely, and be a star performer for life – as long as the brand sees value in the virtual influencer.

Getting started with virtual influencers

While today, only some of the major brands are experimenting with virtual influencers, with advances in technology, it is possible for every company to think about creating a virtual influencer. Firstly, you have to define the profile of the audience you want the virtual influencer to cater to as this will decide how the avatar of the virtual influencer will look. This will also help you decide the key personality traits, views or beliefs or the style quotient of the avatar. These characteristics will help you create a compelling value proposition for the virtual influencer and create engagement with the community that you seek to influence. Once this is done, you can start creating a virtual influencer using your existing team, if they have the relevant skillsets or hire an external agency who can do the task for you.

Bright future

The future is bright for virtual influencers, as with AI, brands will have the power of even creating personalised virtual influencer avatars for specific people. With more data, brands can customise the virtual influencer to send hyper-personalised messages. Imagine a virtual influencer replying to each and every message in a customised way. For marketers, the possibilities are huge. The accessibility and personality of virtual influencers can be a big factor in improving the performance of marketing campaigns.

The potential of virtual influencers is limitless, as brands can create unlimited opportunities using them to encourage conversations and build good relationships with customers. This opens up a world of huge opportunities and opens a completely different marketing front. As the concept of metaverse becomes more accepted, virtual influencers will gain even more prominence as they are naturally more suited to be accepted. With brands already experimenting with the metaverse, virtual influencers can be used to build closer digital engagement with people and create huge virtual communities.