Discover the soaring popularity of virtual influencers as companies embrace their potential. Unravel the hype and explore the profound impact on various industries.
A new trend is occurring in digital commerce these days, and it’s all about Virtual Influencers! You might be wondering, what are these virtual influencers? Well, they are like digital personalities that companies and marketing agencies use to connect with people. These virtual influencers create videos, blogs, social media posts, podcasts, and more to engage with their followers.
In India, the trend of virtual influencers is growing fast. Many companies use them to promote their products and effectively reach their target audience.
In this article, we will explore why virtual influencers are so important for companies and what the future holds for this exciting trend. So, let’s begin!
What’s Happening?
You might have heard about India’s very first virtual influencer named Kyra. She was introduced in 2022 and has already gained an impressive following of over 2,50,000 people on Instagram. Along with Kyra, other virtual influencers in India are making waves in various fields, like reading the news or giving fashion recommendations. This trend is rapidly gaining momentum.
Virtual influencers have been making headlines for some time now, and countries like China are leading the wave. For instance, virtual influencer Liu Yixi managed to attract a whopping 2.3 million followers in just three days.
But, what is this hype all about?
Understanding Virtual Influencers
Virtual influencers are characters created by a computer that is designed to resemble and behave like real-life influencers. They actively engage in posting content on social media platforms and work on maintaining a strong bond with their followers.
They collaborate with brands to endorse products and services related to their niche. Additionally, they cultivate their brand by venturing into various fields like music, fashion, and activism.
Why is the Virtual Influence Trend Increasing?
Firstly, it provides companies with an effective return on their marketing investment. By using virtual influencers, companies can conduct genuine and believable user-based promotions for their products, leading to better impressions and marketing outcomes
Over the past decade, the number of influencers has increased significantly, but trust in traditional celebrities has been declining, as revealed by a study conducted by Edelman Research, an analytics and data company. On the other hand, influencers are perceived as more authentic and relatable, which has contributed to their remarkable global growth. This rise in influencer credibility has also fostered the development of social commerce.
Furthermore, there are growing concerns among governments regarding influencers creating content in sensitive areas like healthcare and law. For instance, the Indian government recently mandated health influencers to display their credentials on social media. This indicates a need for accountability and regulation in the influencer space to ensure responsible and reliable content.
What’s Next?
Virtual influencers have the potential to be utilised across various industries, but some sectors can reap significant benefits from their use. Industries like fashion and beauty, food and beverage, healthcare, and travel and tourism are among those that can gain the most advantages from virtual influencers.
However, virtual influencers are also used in other sectors, including electronics, fitness, technology, education, and gaming, to name a few.
As per a report in The Economic Times, the accessibility of high-speed internet and a broader range of content is leading a large portion of retail and consumer-oriented companies to actively embrace virtual influencers in the coming 12-18 months.
That’s it for today. We hope you’ve found this article informative. Remember to spread the word among your friends. Until we meet again, stay curious!
*The article is for information purposes only. This is not an investment advice.
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