PRESS - PR WEEK ASIA: Its time to take Virtual Influencers seriously

"There is a misconception that influencer marketing is all about 'authenticity'," says Dudley Nevill-Spencer, head of virtual human development at Virtual Influencer Agency. "The reality is very different."

Virtual influencers (VIs) are defined as fictional computer-generated influencers who have the characteristics and personalities of human influencers. This 'trend' has been making its way through Asia, particularly in China and Japan where a number of these virtual beings compete with human influencers for brand attention.

Influencers by default provide curated snapshots of their lives, and Nevill-Spencer argues that virtual influencers are no different. 

"Some influencers provide you with 'aspiration', some with 'validation', some 'trust' and some provide an emotional relationship," Nevill-Spencer says. "I always make the point that no one trusts a thing that Kim Kardashian says. My 12-year-old niece knows everything she says is scripted or paid for, but that doesn't stop her aspiring to look like her.

"So different influencers provide different things. What we are focussing on is creating an emotional relationship between the brand and the consumer."

Taken from PR Week Asia - see full article here:

https://www.prweek.com/article/1705359/virtual-influencers-blur-line-fantasy-reality?bulletin=asia-bulletin