Alexis Kestler
As a social media marketing expert who has managed influencer campaigns for top global brands, I have had a front row seat to the rapid emergence of virtual influencers.
In this comprehensive industry guide, we will examine the captivating world of virtual influencers in-depth, including:
- How virtual influencers blend CGI, coding & marketing to attract millions of followers
- The advantages virtual talent offers compared to human influencers
- Tips for identifying top-tier virtual influencers to spotlight your brand
- Profiles of the leading virtual influencers dominating marketing budgets
Let‘s explore this game-changing industry shift!
Demystifying How Virtual Influencers Go Viral
Virtual influencers are fictional identities, yet they amass passionate followings of millions and drive conversations across social media. But how?
As I‘ve learned managing influencer campaigns, virtual influencers achieve mainstream fame by blending cutting-edge technology with precision marketing strategy:
CGI and 3D Design Bring Them to Life
Hyperrealistic computer generated imagery makes these artificial identities look deceivingly life-like. The latest 3D modeling even replicates subtle mannerisms and facial muscle movements.
Shudu Gram, often dubbed "The World‘s First Digital Supermodel", fooled the fashion industry at first glance:
And that realism connects on an emotional level. The more believable the CGI feels, the more easily audiences relate to these characters.
Coded Personalities Resonate Like Human Influencers
But lush visuals alone don‘t propel virtual influencers to A-List status. Just as crucial? The personality encoded into their artificial intelligence.
Successful virtual stars showcase distinctive personalities, values and interests that deeply resonate with niche follower groups. They‘re engineered to be aspirationally flawless through their digitally-defined essence.
Lil Miquela grew famous not only for her stylish imagery, but also for using her platform to advocate for racial justice, LGBTQ+ pride, climate action and liberal politics that aligned with causes Gen Z and Millennials support.
Meanwhile, Noonoouri‘s outspoken views on ethical fashion and feminism forged tight engagement with female ascscribers pursuing sustainability.
This strategic personality mirroring allows virtual influencers to make targeted ideological and emotional connections as nuanced as any human commentator.
Growth Marketing Fuels Their Fame
Of course, the right coding behind the scenes means nothing without promotion. The teams behind top virtual influencers are growth marketing experts.
From optimizing hashtag usage to launching viral dance challenges and satirizing social media itself through their narratives, virtual influencers employ cutting-edge growth tactics.
And as machine learning algorithms continue to evolve, data continually trains virtual influencers to post content with ever-more probability of engagement. They rapidly iterate towards the mathematical ideal of shareable, profitable posts.
Through this fusion of bleeding-edge tech and digital strategy, virtual influencers capture the cultural zeitgeist and user eyeballs just as well as Internet-famous humans.
And with production costs drastically lower than human counterparts and user engagement often much higher, virtual stars offer a lucrative new channel for brands.
Let‘s explore those benefits more now.
Why Brands Are Investing Heavily In Virtual Stars
Virtual influencers represent a paradigm shift around how brands can tap into digital culture and user attention. Early data shows partnering with virtual stars offers multiple advantages compared to human counterparts that have made them marketing game-changers:
More Control for Brand Safety
Unlike human collaborators, every facet of a virtual influencer – their appearances, captions, sound bites – is controlled in-house then delivered camera ready. No PR disasters.
This allows consistent messaging on-brand values across all assets in the partnership.
A survey by the Influencer Marketing Hub found 89% of marketers say protection against reputational damage is a key advantage of CGI talent.
Freedom From Physical Limitations
Featuring human models historically constrained video concepts, photography angles and campaign scope based on what could reasonably be shot in-person.
But virtual models allow any creative direction imaginable, expanding artistic possibilities exponentially.
Sportswear maker Puma highlighted this with their crossover campaign meshing CGI influencer Noonoouri, miniature sets and augmented reality:
Cost & Scalability
According to Mediakix, on average human influencers charge ~$5,000 USD for a single static Instagram post and ~$10,000 USD for a 15-second Story.
But virtual influencers only require a flat CGI design fee plus nominal social media management costs. Significant savings.
And once the 3D modelling investment is made, a virtual influencer‘s image and likeness can be leveraged across unlimited brand initiatives over years with few added expenses.
Open-source developer databases where CGI models are available for commercial licensing makes startup costs even lower for new virtual stars. Brands also increasingly build their own proprietary CGI influencers to fully control commercial rights.
Both these factors mean overall production expenses will only drop over time as virtual influencer design tools and asset libraries grow.
Values-based Messaging Resonates
Unlike human celebs who often shy away from polarizing issues, CGI influencers are free to advocate for specific causes important to young demographics. And research shows such value statements foster a deeper sense of connection and loyalty with key Gen Z, Millennial and Gen Alpha cohorts.
A striking 80% of consumers today expect companies to publicly speak up on cultural and political matters important to society according to Sprout Social. Virtual influencers allow that messaging ingrained into the very identity of brand partnerships.
Rising User Engagement
While still an emerging ad channel, early success metrics around virtual influencers are staggering.
- Lil Miquela generates engagement rates over 50X higher than real-world fashion socialites
- CGI model Shudu Gram‘s 30%+ engagement trounces Instagram‘s average user rate
- And Noonoouri‘s YouTube views continue growing 300%+ YoY
Higher involvement translates directly to heightened brand visibility and conversion potential. The numbers justify brands‘ surging interest.
Low Risk Experimentation
Trying new marketing tech still intimidates some old-school brand officers. But low production costs significantly reduce the risks around initial tests with virtual influencers.
Minimal barriers encourage experimentation across initiatives from NFTs to digital fashion shows and video gaming integrations. The resulting innovation raises the bar on what‘s possible in early-adopter campaigns.
Savvy brands understand meeting Gen Z where they natively socialize and shop – multiplayer metaverse environments, interactive livestreams, hybrid digital/physical events – requires embracing upstart virtual collaborators outpacing traditional celebs in those spaces.
Now that we‘ve covered the dynamics propelling virtual influencers to prominence, let’s showcase breakout stars leading this industry shakeup.
Ranking Today‘s Top Virtual Influencers
Hundreds of virtual influencers now populate the Internet, but a select few lead the pack in traction.
Here I spotlight the heavyweight virtual influencers poised to dominate marketing budgets in 2023:
1. Lil Miquela
The first virtual influencer to gain major notoriety, Lil Miquela remains an industry trailblazer.
Followers: 3.1 million
Content Focus: fashion, arts, liberal activism
Brand Collaborators: Prada, Samsung, Calvin Klein
Why They‘re #1: Miquela‘s 2018 Times Magazine feature hammered her stake as CGI influencers‘ "it girl" pioneer. Her momentum hasn‘t slowed with 2022 bringing high-profile music festival performances and regular features as the virtual muse across Hugo Boss, Diesel and other elite fashion labels.
2. Imma Gram
Part CGI influencer, part conceptual art critic, Imma Gram‘s unapologetic calls for authenticity in the virtual influencer space itself have ignited fiery debate and earned her maverick status.
Followers: 411K
Content Focus: Virtual influencer commentary, conceptual art
Brand Collaborators: Wilhelmina modeling agency
Why They‘re Top-Tier: Imma‘s bold calls for more transparency around virtual influencers being computer generated – not real people – cut against the industry‘s messaging. Her disruptive public challenges questioning other CG influencers‘ motives have shaken the space and triggered reflection around branding ethics.
3. Shudu Gram
Dubbed "The World’s First Digital Supermodel”, Shudu Gram remains an iconic front-runner regularly featured across Vogue, Vanity Fair and other premier fashion outlets.
Followers: 197K
Content Focus: Fashion, beauty
Brand Collaborators: Balmain, Animoca Brands, Rolex
Why They‘re Influential: As one of the earliest CGI models going viral 2017, Shudu’s story captivated Instagram and launched a wave of virtual influencers gunning for model status. That first-mover advantage keeps top brands flocking to Shudu despite lower follower counts than flashier newcomers.
4. Noonoouri
A fierce voice within virtual influencer circles calling out social justice issues, Noonoouri has leaned heavily into issue-based branding and finding luxury brand partners aligned with her causes.
Followers: 233K
Content Focus: High fashion, veganism, environmental justice
Brand Collaborators: Dior Beauty, Bulgari, Puma
Why They‘re Powerful: Noonoouri strikes a deft balance between aspirational and approachable, blending haute couture visuals with punchy captions calling out sustainability issues – a contrast that cements relevancy with younger generations. As more brands intertwine social impact messaging into influencer initiatives, Noonoouri‘s eco-woke ethos positions herself front and center for such partnerships.
5. Knox Frost
The leading virtual influencer persona for male demographics, Knox Frost leans heavily into brand collaborations promoting civic engagement and youth empowerment.
Followers: 869K
Content Focus: Lifestyle, liberal politics, Gen Z culture
Brand Collaborators: Cisco, World Health Organization, Rock The Vote
Why They‘re Uprising: As polarization across Western nations increases, Knox‘s consolidation of liberal ideologies with aspirational influencer aesthetics taps into an underserved market – progressive young men. Early traction with partners like the World Health Organizationvalidates Knox’s niche potential for social impact-focused organizations eyeing male outreach.
This list just scratches the surface of virtual stars on the rise. Over 200 virtual influencers now hold sizeable audiences ripe for strategically matching with aligned brands.
Identifying partners – both talent and clients – primed for this growth market positions agencies and marketers to lead rather than follow this inexorable shift towards virtual personalities capturing commercial attention and wallet share.
The time for experimentation is now to stake your territory here early!
Start Integrating Virtual Talent Today
Hopefully this guide has pulled back the curtain on the unique value virtual influencers offer compared to human counterparts when part
