Everyone pays attention to internet celebrities on social media, however, have you ever thought that the celebrity you follow may not be a real person? With the rise of social platforms, many brands utilise influencer marketing to increase their exposure. Meanwhile, as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly sophisticated, a new type of online marketing, virtual KOL, has risen rapidly. Surprisingly, their interaction and reach rate have surpassed real-person celebrities. Just like a real star, virtual influencers have a crucial effect on Gen Z that cannot be ignored. For example, GU model Yu and virtual influencer Imma have reached hundreds thousands of fans on Instagram. In the following session, we will show you how these brands make use of virtual influencers to stand out in the market.

1. GU Virtual Model-YU

After watching the above image, could you quickly recognize who is a virtual character? Japan fast-fashion brand GU launched its first virtual model, Yu, in its 2020 spring and summer campaign. Apart from her natural facial features, Yu’s hairstyle and height are carefully established to resemble normal Japanese girl. Yu has a well-designed personality, and she loves sharing her GU outfits on Instagram. Potential customers could now better understand the texture and matching styles of GU clothing. In this sense, virtual influencers have successfully created gimmicks, and their customization meets the needs of the brand and preferences of the young generation.

2. Time’s Most Influential People on the Internet -Lil Miquela

Lil Miquela, a virtual model and singer who was selected as one of the “Most Influential People on the Internet” by Time Magazine, has been a well-known virtual influencer in the fashion industry. Lil Miquela is created by Brudset as a 19-year-old girl living in Los Angeles. She shares her outfits of trendy brands on Instagram from time to time, such as Prada, Chanel, Coach, etc., and she interacts frequently with real celebrities. Lil Miquela often participates in the shooting of well-known fashion brands. For example, she once collaborated with Bella Hadid in the Calvin Klein advertisement. She has also been invited to watch fashion shows from well-know luxury brands such as LV and Dior. In this sense, Lil Miquela has been recognized as a premier player in influencer marketing.

3. SK-II Virtual Spokesperson-Imma

With iconic pink bob hair and street-style appearance, Japan virtual celebrity Imma looks the same with other real models. As the first-ever virtual model in Japan, Imma has collaborated with SK-II in 2019. Their commercial advertising has reached over 7 millions views on Youtube. This campaign unveils a brand new look to SK-II, together with tons of discussion volume. Since then, Imma received  more brand cooperation; like a real influencer, Imma shares her life, work (behind the scenes) and favourite products on her instagram stories, which brought further publicity to brands.