Rise of Virtual Influencers

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27 May 2022
24

Design by A. Solano


Virtual influencers are on the rise and now, with the entrance of the Metaverse, make it look the human influencers are history. With technology advancing at an alarming rate, it is no surprise that digital influencers are becoming more and more popular.

They allow people to connect with a wide variety of like-minded individuals without having to leave their homes. As these platforms continue to grow in popularity, it is important to understand how they work to evaluate their impact correctly.

What are Virtual Influencers?

Virtual influencers are digitally created characters or avatars representing a brand, product, or service. They can be found in the Metaverse, a virtual simulation of the internet that includes a wide range of user-generated content.

Virtual influencers create 3D representations of themselves for use in marketing campaigns. For example, Lil Miquela is a young Brazilian singer who has quickly become one of the most popular virtual influencers on the internet.

Her work has been featured on websites and blogs worldwide, and she has even performed live at various festivals.

Lil Miquela's popularity shows that virtual influencers can be just as successful or even more than traditional celebrities if they create powerful content that resonates with their audience.

For the uninitiated, Lil Miquela is a CGI character created in 2016 and has since amassed over 3 million followers on Instagram.

She is known as a "virtual influencer" or "digital influencer," and her presence on social media has sparked much debate over the blurred lines between reality and fiction online.

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Some people view Lil Miquela as nothing more than a fabricated persona, while others believe she genuinely influences her followers. Regardless of where you stand, it's hard to deny that virtual influencers like Lil Miquela are changing the social media landscape.

With their uncanny ability to blur the lines between reality and fiction, they present a whole new level of immersion for users.

Who is Lil Miquela?

Lil Miquela is a 19-year-old artist and influencer born in Brazil but lives in Los Angeles. She has millions of followers on Instagram, and her posts regularly get tens of thousands of likes and comments. But Lil Miquela isn't real – she's a computer-generated character, or avatar, created by an LA-based startup called Brud.

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Brud is one of many companies that are using avatars to create digital influencers – people who have large online followings and can influence the purchasing decisions of their fans. These virtual influencers aren't just for fun – they're serious business.

As a result, some brands are now spending more money promoting content featuring virtual influencers than traditional celebrities.

Lil Miquela, a virtual influencer with nearly 600,000 followers on Spotify, is expected to generate $11.7 million for her creators.

Lil Miquela's Instagram following has grown to 3 million followers, making her one of the most popular virtual artists. Her music and videos are popular with young people, and she has helped promote new artists. So what's driving this trend? There are a few factors at work here.

How did they come about?

The digital world has created an influencer landscape in recent years, unlike anything we've ever seen before. With the advent of new technologies such as blockchain, digital creators have created highly realistic avatars and profiles that can be used in advertising and other promotional campaigns.

Digital virtual influencers are a relatively new phenomenon. For example, they first came about in the web 2.0 on platforms like Instagram and YouTube with Lil Miquela but now is time for the Metaverse. This digital world allows users to create avatars and interact with others online.

People began creating avatars that looked like celebrities or other well-known figures in the Metaverse. These avatars would then be used to promote products or services.

There are several reasons why virtual influencers are becoming more popular. Firstly, they offer a new and unique way to connect with consumers. Their characters are often quirky and fun, which helps engage audiences in a way that traditional celebrities cannot.

Top Virtual Influencers

There is a whole new category of influencers on the internet, and they are called virtual influencers.

These are people who have built up large followings on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube but don't exist in the real world. The most famous virtual influencer is Lil Miquela, who has over 3 million followers on Instagram.

Other popular virtual influencers include Shudu Gram, a CGI model created by photographer Cameron James-Wilson, and BRUD, a collective of CGI artists from Montreal. While their numbers may not be as high as Lil Miquela's, they all have tens of thousands of followers.

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What sets virtual influencers apart from traditional celebrities is that they exist only in the digital world. They aren't real people with real lives; they're just computer-generated images (CGI).

Producing in The Metaverse

Virtual influencers are the new breed of online-only celebrities. Digital content has become a vital part of the marketing mix for businesses.


Digital-created influencers are becoming more and more popular, especially in the advertising industry, in a platform that allows users to create, share, and monetize 3D content.

This has made the Metaverse the perfect platform for digitally created influencers to promote their products and services.

Digital-created influencers can use Metaverse to create custom 3D content for their followers. This allows them to reach a wider audience than if they used traditional advertising or social media methods. Metaverse also will enable users to earn rewards for sharing their content.

They use their skills to generate attention for themselves and their brands by creating 3D content, marketing campaigns, or social media posts.

Advertising agencies are beginning to take notice of metaverse creators' abilities to reach an audience on a global scale. By using NFTs (non-fungible tokens), they can create unique experiences that can't be found anywhere else.


This makes it an attractive option for digitally created influencers who want to make money while promoting their products or services.

Virtual Influencers and Blockchain

How can these virtual influencers monetize their work? One option is to sell advertising space on their content, products related to the content they produce through blockchain.

With blockchain technology, virtual influencers could create a digital world with its own rules in which they can sell products related to their content. This would give them control over their work and the ability to earn while keeping all of their information private. And because blockchain is secure and transparent, it would allow fans of virtual influencers to trust them completely.

Target Audiences

Most digital virtual influencers target young audiences, often considered more impressionable and the future users of the Metaverse. This is because they are more likely to trust the recommendations of someone they know and admire than a traditional celebrity or advertising campaign.

This means that digital virtual influencers can be a powerful tool for brands looking to connect with a younger demographic. Their ability to engage with followers personally also makes them effective in building brand awareness and creating loyalty among consumers.

Could Virtual Influencers take over?

There seems to be a new article posted about how virtual influencers will overtake traditional marketing models every day.

This is simple: metaverse technology and digital platforms make it easier for people to connect and share their ideas and perspectives.

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Moreover, the rise of social media has given individuals the ability to become influencers without spending any money. With so many people now having access to these tools, it's no wonder why virtual influencers are on the rise.

As the world moves towards a more digital age, the influencer industry. Virtual influencers will take over from old-style influencers shortly.

The metaverse world makes it easier for them to connect with customers and promote their products or services. This trend will likely continue as virtual influencers become more popular and widespread.

Are Virtual Influencers The Future?

Some experts say yes, and that the traditional model of celebrity marketing is no longer as effective.

So who are the new authorities? Are virtual influencers the future? That's a question that has been on many people's minds lately, with metaverse platforms becoming more and more popular.

With so many people using these platforms to share their thoughts and ideas, it makes sense that companies would want to get in on the action by creating their virtual influencers.

But what is a virtual influencer, exactly? A virtual influencer is someone who is created digitally- they are not real people but rather representations of those who exist solely in cyberspace. This can be done using 3D technology, which allows for an incredibly realistic representation of someone.

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Brands or agencies typically create them to promote products or services and can be used to engage with customers more personally than traditional advertising.

Unlike celebrities, who often charge high fees for product endorsements, virtual influencers are typically much cheaper to work with, never get tired, can work 24/7, and their engaged fan bases can be just as valuable.

Final Thought

Digital-created influencers are quickly becoming the future of marketing. They allow companies to connect with like-minded individuals, bypassing the traditional marketing channels.


Additionally, metaverse technology enables marketers to develop virtual humans to communicate and interact with consumers more realistically.

They are also more accessible than traditional celebrities, making them more affordable and efficient in promoting a product or service. As digitally created influencers become more popular, companies will need to adapt their marketing strategies to take advantage of this new trend.

Finally, digitally created influencers can be modified or updated quickly to keep up with the latest trends and technologies.

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