In February 2018, skiwear retailer Moncler became one of the first brands to partner with a virtual influencer—a CGI avatar that, like its human counterparts, had established a fervent social following. The activation was a simple modeling post on Instagram, and two days later the avatar did the same for Diesel. In the years since, while virtual influencers have shown some promise for brands—namely by affording better control of messaging—widespread adoption has been slow. 

As Web 3.0 begins to take shape, however, virtual influencers are poised to see greater interest from marketers eager to build their followings in the metaverse.

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“There is not a doubt in my mind that virtual influencers will be the tastemakers of the metaverse just as human influencers and celebrities are the tastemakers in the physical world,” Shep Ogden, CEO and co-founder of Offbeat Media and partner at publication VirtualHumans.org, said via email. 

This is mainly because the metaverse is a native home for virtual influencers. In the same way that TikTok and Instagram stars can better engage with audiences who crave real-world content from creators that look like them, virtual influencers can better provide the experiences that users desire in the metaverse, such as world-building, cross-platform interactivity and leveraging augmented and virtual-reality technology.

Making moves 

Meta, for one, is preparing for wider adoption of virtual influencers by designing an ethical framework to guide their use, as well as allowing fans to create online avatars with virtual merchandise. The company sees the space as the next evolution of the influencer ecosystem.

TikTok is also experimenting with virtual avatars through a new tool that allows users to create digital characters based on their faces, which will mimic real facial expressions. The feature is still in testing, but could feasibly allow creators to build their digital identities for use in virtual platforms.

There remain plenty of unknowns as brands navigate the metaverse, and how virtual worlds look today will surely change even a year from now. But the one constant that will exist going forward is avatars, said Ryan Detert, CEO of influencer marketing agency Influential.

“Whether it's a realistic avatar, whether it's a dog or a cat … those will be the things that [brands] will either buy or be a part of or engage with.”

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Forever 21 has already started experimenting with these virtual personas as part of its “Shop City” retail experience in Roblox. This activation hinged on a partnership with @Builder_Boy, a user-generated content creator who’s been on the platform for years and has over 48,000 in-game followers. The avatar served as Forever 21’s “metaverse fashion consultant,” collaborating alongside fellow Roblox creators to design a virtual clothing line.

“Working with influencers such as @Builder_Boy and other top UGC creators/design influencers allowed us to create an authentic player interaction opportunity from the start,” Amondo Redmond, chief marketing officer, Forever 21, said in an email.

Player partnerships

“Shop City” illustrates one of the two ways that brands can activate virtual influencers: By partnering with one that already exists or, alternatively, by creating their own. 

“When you partner with the existing virtual influencer, you have a higher chance of coming across as more ‘authentic,’” said Kelsey Chickering, principal analyst at Forrester.

“Shop City’s” metaverse fashion consultant is neither a creation of Forever 21 nor a third-party studio, but rather a Gen-Z player that has grown an organic following on the platform. Users in nascent metaverse worlds are more likely, it seems, to accept and engage with advertising that does not feel invasive to their communities. This is especially pertinent as those worlds begin to populate with more brands and players.

Partnering with existing virtual influencers could also be a major step toward transitioning the space away from publicity stunts and into more mainstream components of marketing strategies, said Chickering.

As augmented and virtual reality see greater adoption from consumers, virtual influencing will become increasingly more accessible, creating more partnership opportunities for brands.

For example, Zepeto is a mobile app that allows users to create a virtual avatar from a selfie and share it across social media in photos and videos. The technology mirrors the avatar feature that TikTok is currently testing. Users play mini-games in order to win currency to upgrade their avatars and furnish their homes, and can also interact with other avatars on the platform.

It is conceivable to see how brands could collaborate with popular avatars on Zepeto and engage with a community that is already familiar with an in-game currency system. 

AR and VR capabilities, like those of Zepeto, are the tools that bring virtual influencers to life, said Offbeat Media’s Ogden. In particular, he mentioned the increasing user-friendliness in categories like retail. Snapchat, Pinterest and TikTok are all platforms that pair AR with e-commerce efforts, allowing for features like 3D makeup tutorials and the ability to digitally try on clothing. 

IP as influencers

In contrast to partnering with pre-existing creators, some brands have built-in intellectual property that they can leverage into creating their own virtual influencers.

Barbie, for example, went from a fashion doll into an influencer when, in 2015, she began hosting a YouTube vlog. Her creator presence has since been extended to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and could very well land in the metaverse next.

“The unique thing with Barbie is that she's a brand but she also is a character, and she always has been,” said Nathan Baynard, VP of global brand marketing at Barbie. “It's just about finding a way to bring her to life on these different channels … and then giving her appropriate topics that feel authentic and resonate and relevant to the platform.”

Some may claim that Barbie is more of a mascot than an influencer, but there is little difference when the spokescharacter is extending storylines across platforms to promote the brand, said Influential’s Detert. 

To this end, a virtual influencer is ultimately a vessel for IP, enabling brands from the quick-service restaurant space to sports to capitalize on their stories and become creators themselves.

Another example is State Farm’s “Jake” character, who has gone from TV star to TikTok creator with 237,000 followers. The insurance group also included him as a non-player character in NBA 2K. As part of the activation, players were able to explore a storefront with State Farm branded clothing, interact with a virtual Jake and unlock his outfit for their own avatars to wear—features that sound awfully similar to an experience on a metaverse platform.

“[Brands] that have built these stories over the years essentially have this IP that … is now available and will be used to build up worlds that will eventually go in the metaverse, but for now live on social,” Detert said.

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