Cyber ​​models and digital bloggers – a pandemic is not a problem when there is no opportunity to get sick

We previously wrote about advertising integrations with bloggers. Today we will talk about a new direction in this area – digital influencers.

The trend to involve cyber models in filming dates back to before bloggers and celebrities locked themselves in their homes due to the coronavirus. However, nevertheless, the influence of digital influencers has increased precisely in these difficult times for real bloggers.

Viral Blast

The pandemic has brought new faces to the fore, “creating” virtual celebrities. This, of course, did not bypass the attention of marketers.

At a time when social distancing has become a necessity and safe interaction with other people is taken for granted, the demand for digital influencers has skyrocketed. Some brands are already forecasting future spending on this new type of marketing, which is projected to reach $15 billion by 2022.

When the news first broke that Riot Games Inc. created a pink-haired Seraphim, the virtual blogger’s Instagram account instantly went viral. As of December 2020, it has almost 500,000 subscribers who love simple dances and photos with a cat of their favorite League of Legends character.

The pandemic did not prevent the movement of either Seraphim herself or her music. But, at the same time, the virtual model, like “real” people, wore a protective mask. True only sometimes.

Real income from virtual models

Cyber ​​models bring creators contracts with brands such as Prada and Calvin Klein. For example, Lil Miquela “earned” $11.7 million in 2020 alone.

Lil Miquela is not only a model, but also a singer with 2.8 million followers on Instagram. Like real stars, she has haters who accuse the model of being too “ideal”. Thus, forgetting that real influencers on Instagram blogs do the same thing, demonstrating beautiful breakfasts, going to the gym and a face without a single flaw in their stories.

Not only digital personalities themselves are criticized, but also the creators of a new type of modeling. Photographer Cameron-James Wilson came up with a black model from Africa – Shudu.

For this, he was accused of racism and cultural appropriation – after all, a black model does not receive money for her work! Although Shudu only exists in the 3D world.

The fact that cyber models are “not real” does not make them less influential in the Internet environment. And investors understand this well.

Only for the beginning of 2020 at Superplastic Inc. invested $6 million. And the Japanese startup Aww Inc., which employs no more than 20 people, raised $1 million.

It happens that Internet users mistake the Japanese Imma, the creation of Aww Inc, for a person, and this is completely forgivable. At first glance, it is difficult to understand that Imma is a digital model.

Her participation in advertising with the Salvatore Ferragamo SpA brand is broadcast to an audience of 300 thousand people in only one Instagram profile. Imma also shoots for popular magazines, advertises apps and shoots videos on TikTok. With such a set and human appearance, it really becomes difficult to distinguish a cyber model from an ordinary person.

However, the history of its creation did not begin at all with the company’s attempt to make money on a digital blogger, but with a desire to learn new opportunities and an attempt to touch the future. Even the girl’s name means “Now” in Japanese.

But it didn’t end with human appearance, Superplastic Inc. decided to go further and created “fantastic beasts”. Janky is a famous stuntman who looks like a long cat crossed with a bear. Guggimon is a tall rabbit with shark teeth.

They have 2.3 million followers on Instagram and Prada has long paid attention to them in advertising — digital models stand in front of a broken car in the brand’s clothes. The creators of Janky and Guggimon note that there is no limit to the universe of their creations, as they live both in the physical world and in the digital world.

This mix offers the potential for huge attention-grabbing opportunities, thereby earning more from virtual creations. The only limitation is the ability of the computer.

What do we have?

The Malivar project already exists in Russia. The studio specializes in creating virtual models based on computer graphics to replace real bloggers in advertising companies. The founder of the project, Valery Sharipov, used to work as a trade marketer. Then Valery had to deal with not the most responsible bloggers, who often canceled projects at the last moment.

In 2018, the project released three virtual bloggers, the most popular of which is Aliona Pole. He already has 17 thousand subscribers. Now the project has more cyber bloggers, as digital modeling is in demand.

For each created character, a plot and content plan are prescribed. A real person behind the scenes is responsible for each blogger.

Digital models attract attention because they are new and unusual. And on Instagram, people subscribe to them because of unique content, and not because bloggers are digital.

Another Russian cyber model, Kira, “studied” Oriental studies at MGIMO, but quit after her third year. Her mom and dad met in Israel. Kira lived in Berlin for six months. She has a passion for art history and cannot imagine life without the Internet.

The project was created specifically for collaborations with brands, both large and small.

One of these was the hookah bar, specially for which the Golden Ghost was created. After the launch of Yota advertising with the Aliona Pole digital model, Malivar began to receive more collaboration offers. Among them are Schwarzkopf, MAC Cosmetics, Cosmopolitan.

The site virtualhumans.org, which specializes in interviews with digital models, notes that such “fake” influencers have real marketing potential – cyber models are cheaper and more manageable.

Unreal is real

Virtual bloggers are cheaper – there is no need to hire a stylist, makeup artist and other staff. The model will not be late for the shoot, will not gain excess weight, and will be ready for a new recording in five minutes. The digital model “changes clothes” quickly and will pose as the customer needs.

A brand can use a ready-made virtual model already created by the project, or it can “produce” a new one in just 21 days. Together with the creators, the brand thinks through the story of the character and at the end gets the “ideal face” of the company.

The field of cyber-models is gaining momentum. If development continues at this pace, then there is a possibility that traditional marketing and collaboration with real bloggers will experience the nuances associated with the demand for virtual models in the future.

Exiterra also plans to attract cyber models in the near future. We will definitely tell about the first experiences in this area in our business blog.

How do you personally assess the prospects of digital influencers?

How do you assess the prospects and opportunities of cyber bloggers? Can virtual influencers crowd out real ones? What can this direction bring to digital marketing?

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