Over 47% Believe Virtual Influencers Require Big Investments

The ever-evolving nature of technology has enabled a huge scope for marketing. Recently, influencer and influencer culture saw a significant increase. Precisely, virtual influencers are figures who have social influence in their field or platform. This influence allows them to effectively ‘market’ for various brands and corporates.

Thus, Real Research — the online survey app, launched a survey on virtual influencers, seeking public opinion on virtual influencers, virtual influencer marketing, advantages, risks, and more. Here are the results.

Highlights

• 85.83% have watched an ad featuring an influencer.
• 43.32% say using virtual Influencers aid marketing purposes.
• 47.47% say virtual influencer marketing requires a big investment in artificial intelligence.

The Majority Have Seen Virtual Influencer Featured Ads

To begin, the survey starts with asking if respondents have seen an ad that features a virtual influencer. A majority of 85.83% have seen virtual influencers in ads, while 14.17% have not.

Adding on, respondents were asked if they felt the urge to buy a product after seeing an ad featuring a virtual model. To which, all 72.93% said ‘yes’, whereas 13.30% have not felt such an urge.

To follow up, the survey also asks respondents which virtual influencers they have heard of. A majority of 31.05% responded with ‘Lil Miquela’. More so, 13.18% chose ‘Shudu’, 9.90% chose ‘Barbie’, 5.62% chose ‘Lucy’, 5.25% chose ‘Laila Blue’, 4.31% chose ‘Lu do Magalu’, and 2.28% chose ‘Knox Frost’.

Presence of Virtual Influencers in Marketing

Next, the survey asks if respondents believe virtual influencers help with marketing or corporate reputation. A majority of 43.32% responded ‘most definitely’, while 18.22% ‘definitely’, and 16.63% are neutral. In contrast, 4.91% say ‘rarely’ and 3.74% say ‘not at all’.

Following after, the survey asks respondents what the biggest benefits of virtual influencers are. The majority (48.92%) say ‘they are available 24/7’ and 14.77% say ‘they can be at multiple places a the same time.’

Moreover, 11.67% say ‘production costs are relatively low’ while 7.41% say ‘it helps us to improve skills’. Lastly, 6.72% say ‘brands/corporates have complete control over influencer’s image’.

Biggest Risks of Using Virtual Influencers

To add, the survey also asks what is the biggest risk of using virtual influencers. Some 47.47% say it requires a big investment in artificial intelligence while 15.59% say interest in virtual influencers may decrease in the future.

Moreover, 11.85% say they are less reliable as they cannot experience products in real life. Meanwhile, 7.43% say it is impossible to make emotional connections with consumers. Lastly, 5.59% say they can replace human jobs, leading to unemployment problems.

Lastly, the survey asks respondents’ opinions on the use of virtual influencers. To which, a majority of 62.85% feel positive about virtual influencers, while 13.26% feel ‘negative’.