Why virtual influencers in the metaverse will be the future CGI brand tastemakers

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.