July 18, 2022

Why create a virtual character for your business ?

A virtual character ? An excellent marketing strategy !

In today's competitive and ever-changing business world, it's more important than ever to stand out from the crowd.

You are right ! This means it's time to stop using the same old marketing techniques that everyone else uses! Go ahead and stand out from your competitors !

You already know that when it comes to marketing, there are a lot of different strategies you can use. One strategy that is becoming increasingly popular is creating a virtual persona for your business.

In a world where almost everyone is reachable via social media, so many businesses are vying for attention online. I can promise you that anything you can do to make yourself more memorable will surely pay off !

If you really want to be different, create a virtual persona to represent your brand. It can be an animated version of yourself or a completely fictional character. Several choices are available to you !

Either way, it will help you create a unique identity that will make you more memorable in the eyes of your potential customers. It will help you stand out from others and retain your customers. And I am sure that your customers are very precious to you !

You can even create derived products of your character to give at events or sell online. You can put your character on anything you can imagine, from t-shirts to coffee mugs. Imagine all the possibilities !

By having a consistent visual identity, you will make it easier for potential customers to remember your brand and what it stands for. If you can create a persona that people can relate to, you'll be on your way to success ! People really love being in contact with characters that they relate to.

Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that creating a virtual persona is a great way to add some excitement and intrigue to your marketing strategies. What are you waiting for ?

It could be an influencer, a character at an event, or someone who answers questions in-store. There are many reasons to use a virtual character, and each one of them are as good as the others !

Here are some situations where virtual characters will become your best friend !

 

create virtual character

 

Promote your brand with a virtual influencer

As a marketer, you know the importance of social media influencers. If you're looking to take your brand to the next level, don't overlook the power of influencer marketing !

They can help promote your brand to a new audience, and can be a great way to reach new customers.

But working with social media influencers isn't always easy ! When you decide to hire a social media influencer, there are a lot of disadvantages that come with it.

You need to make sure their values ​​match your brand and that they are genuinely passionate about what you promote. If they are not passionate about the product they are promoting, their recommendations will fall flat.

It can be difficult to get in touch with them. They often are very busy ! Also they can have high requests that can be difficult to satisfy. Usually, the more visibility they have, the more requests they have. And we can agree that you surely want to hire an influencer who has a lot of visibility on social media.

But what if you could promote your brand with a virtual influencer ?

With virtual influencers, you can create an avatar that represents your brand. This avatar can interact with customers on social media and can help promote your products or services.

This persona can then be used in all of your marketing strategies, from website banners to social media posts.

Also, virtual influencers are more affordable than traditional influencers on social media, and they could reach a wider audience.

At Neweb Labs, we cover the entire creation process of your virtual influencer ! From character customization to your liking, to real-time character animation.

So why not give virtual influencers a chance ? They could be the key to promoting your brand and increasing your visibility on social media.

Who says more visibility… Says more customers !

 

Transform your events to make them memorable

Looking to spice up your corporate events ? Why not try using a virtual character ?

We can help you create a fun and engaging experience that will have your guests talking about your event weeks later !

From talking heads to life-size holograms, our virtual characters are the perfect way to add an extra level of excitement to any occasion.

With our help, you can turn your average corporate event into something truly memorable.

 

Hold the attention of your interlocutors more easily during your business conferences

Have you ever attended a boring corporate conference ? Checking the clock regularly and hoping that the conference is ending soon is an unpleasant feeling !

We have the solution for you ! Why not use a virtual character to keep things interesting ?

When you give a corporate meeting, you want to make sure your audience is engaged.

Whether with a life-size hologram or a talking head, thanks to our virtual characters, your employees will stop holding back their yawns and will finally be excited to attend your meetings.

By using a virtual persona, you can maintain your audience's interest and avoid boredom in the lecture.

 

create virtual character

Source : Instagram

 

Improve your customer service with a touch of originality

Your customers are crucial to your business. To keep them coming back, you need to give them great customer service.

But what if you could take your customer service to the next level, with the help of a virtual persona ?

With our services, you can now create a virtual character that will help you improve your in-store customer service.

You can use a conversational avatar or even a talking head, which can be used to improve the customer service in-store or through your chatbot.

This virtual character can be customized to match your brand and personality. They can be used to greet customers, answer their questions and help them.

The best part is that this virtual persona is available 24/7, so you can always provide excellent customer service, no matter what time of the day it is. With a virtual character in your team, you can rest !

At Neweb Labs, our experts can help you carry out this project. Thanks to our virtual human creation services !

 

Creating a virtual character: where to start ?

You want to use a virtual character, but don't know where to start ?

First, you need to make a choice of the type of virtual human you want.

Depending on your needs, you must choose the type of virtual human that suits your business.

No problems ! We have lots of choices !

At Neweb Labs, we are proud of being able to create the best virtual characters that exceed our customers' expectations.

We can help you create a character that is realistic and can interact with people in a variety of ways. Our expertise allows us to create a character that perfectly meets your needs.

The professionals at Neweb Labs are there to enlighten you.

 

So if you're ready to take your project to the next level or even if you just want more information, contact us today.

We can’t wait to hear more about your project !

June 29, 2022

Virtual influencers: The future of marketing

Remember the game The Sims. Most players have discovered a passion for creating characters that look like them physically and then create a house that looks like theirs.

Personally, I spent hours doing it.

And, let's face it, when we were done with our creation and it was time to play, we turned off our computer.

We had spent so much time making our families and our homes that the rest of the game suddenly didn't interest us.

This passion for creating characters is part of the journey of a virtual reality enthusiast, just like we are at Neweb Labs!

Do you want to develop a forward-thinking aspect within your company?

This new world of virtual reality is expanding and you will gain trying the experience with us.

Creating a virtual character is possible with the help of interactive mixed reality technologies.

These technologies allow us to create photorealistic virtual characters that look like real people.

Then, we can animate these characters using connected screens or mobile applications to bring them to life in hologram form.

This allows us to create new and innovative ways to connect with our target audiences, during events, social interactions or any other marketing activation.

By creating virtual influencers for our business, we can create powerful connections with our target audience.

What a great way to promote our products or services in a different and original way. 😃

How to define a virtual influencer?

I’m sure you already know the concept of an influencer. Even recently, they have been talked about by acting crazy on board a plane in the middle of a pandemic.

Influencers are best known in digital marketing for making a lot of noise around a brand and making it stand out.

Companies hire them for their exuberant side. They get noticed and that's what we want for our products.

Nowadays, we see a new phenomenon appear: virtual influencers

Virtual influencers are characters created by using imaging and animation software. They can be given a humanoid form or made into a cartoon-like character.

His appearance will then be the basis of his personality, which can be noticed on social media.

Yes again, we want an influencer who gets noticed. After all, that's their main interest when they're not fooling around on an airplane. 🤪

These influential virtual humans embody sprezzatura: the art of making something highly planned seem spontaneous and laid-back.

We therefore create an influencer from scratch through the expertise of professionals in the virtual world. That's us! 🤓

Your new virtual influencer can therefore be used to promote your brand out of the ordinary and is a great way to reach your audience!

The resemblance between these fictional characters and humans is often so striking that it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart.

On Instagram, the accounts of virtual influencers are very similar to those of ordinary influencers: Selfies, trips, look of the day. They have their own life and we hide to follow them.

These robots share their daily lives on social networks, perfectly mastering what makes them an influence.

Nowadays, more and more brands prefer to rely on these fictional characters which provide many benefits rather than human content creators. They have the advantage of technology and the diva fits of human influencers are often avoided.

 

From virtual character to influencer on social networks: The case of Bermuda

 

virtual influencer

Source : https://www.instagram.com/bermudaisbae/

 

This is Bermuda. She is a 3D virtual character with a growing number of followers on Instagram, which she joined in 2016.

Bermuda has become an online influencer due to her engaging and curiosity-inducing social media posts.

Her followers love her style, which she demonstrates through her photos posted on Instagram. Her greatest particularity: She is a musician!

We can also notice that Bermuda is often in the company of Lil Miquela, another virtual influencer on Instagram. Lil Miquela has more than 3 million subscribers!

Believe it or not, Bermuda is nearing 300,000 followers today and she's now an Instagram verified account, just like the biggest celebrities are. Putting a blue check mark signals reliability, respect and achievement.

Basically, she has all the advantages of a human influencer without the diva side. 🤣

 

Virtual humans, your new marketing tool

When it comes to building a brand, many people think you have to make a physical presence.

But, in the digital age, there are more options than ever for businesses of all sizes and locations.

One of these options is to hire virtual influencers to help promote your brand.

In a world where people are spending more and more time on social media, it's no surprise that businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to reach their target audience.

Virtual influencers offer a unique way to do this!

Virtual influencers are all the rage right now, and for good reason. They offer a unique way to connect with your customers and create a more personal connection with them.

Moreover, the fact that they are becoming more and more realistic is so impressive that users of social networks are all curious to analyze the details that make them charming.

By having a virtual human, you will have complete control over how they look and what they exude. You can therefore ensure that he exudes a lot of self-confidence, which can often be lacking in human beings.

To give you a little idea, virtual influencers have almost three times higher engagement rates than real influencers, due to their unique way of connecting with the audience.

Their strong visual value makes them distinguishable from humans when scrolling through a standard social feed, and they are more likely to attract you.

For this reason, large companies associate with them in order to promote their brands, such as Calvin Klein, which produced an advertising video with Lil Miquela accompanied by Bella Hadid.

We can also notice the different partnerships of virtual influencers among their publications on Instagram with the hashtag Ad.

 

virtual influencer

Source : https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/

 

Five benefits of virtual influencers

Better engagement rate

As we have seen above, the content distributed by a virtual influencer would be three times more attractive than the content shared by a traditional influencer.

Indeed, their difference is attractive and therefore attracts users of social networks.

These virtual robots are more engaging even though their lives are entirely staged.

Forward-thinking brand image

Using the virtual world is a great opportunity for brands that want to bring out modernity and forward-thinking.

Using a virtual influencer to advertise creates a sense of rarity and exclusivity, which is appealing to our audience.

Effective collaborations

Virtual influencers, you guessed it, don't have a specific need to satisfy. We can make them work 24/7, without them being exhausted like a human being.

By using fictitious avatars, we can advertise effectively, reliably and quickly.

Content control

By working with virtual influencers, brands now have access to endless possibilities for digital marketing content.

They can make their ideas come to life the way they want.

Reputation control

The fact that the image of a virtual influencer is controlled by someone makes it possible to avoid all the mistakes that will make the character and the brand a bad reputation.

The reputation of a company will therefore never be damaged by the deviant behavior of a human being.

If his actions are well thought out, the virtual influencer can be more than perfect.

Join the movement

Interested in having virtual influencers by your side?

Our team can help you! We specialize in virtual reality design and animation.

We can create a character that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.

We can create photo realistic characters, cartoon characters or any other style you desire. Contact us and start today!

April 6, 2022

Metahuman creator: a powerful marketing tool

If you frequent Unreal Engine communities on social media, you've probably heard the term 'Metahuman' several times a day in addition to seeing photos and videos of people's creations. So what is '' MetaHuman Creator''?

If you frequent Unreal Engine communities on social media, you've probably heard the term 'Metahuman' several times a day. In addition to seeing photos and videos of people's creations, you may also be wondering what exactly MetaHuman Creator is.

Metahuman Creator is a tool that allows users to create highly realistic 3D human characters for use in Unreal Engine 4. The tool uses cutting-edge facial recognition technology to generate extremely lifelike faces, and users can further customize their characters by choosing from a range of hairstyles, eye colors, and skin tones.

In addition, the tool includes a clothing editor so that users can dress their characters in any outfit they like. Metahuman Creator is an incredibly powerful tool that provides users with everything they need to create realistic 3D human characters.

If you're looking to create realistic human characters for your Unreal Engine 4 projects, then MetaHuman Creator is definitely the tool for you.

What is MetaHuman Creator?

Let’s dive in.

MetaHuman Creator is the world's most advanced video game character creation application!

Unreal Engine, owned by the renowned Epic Games, unveiled a new platform for digital human creation, one which everyone in the 3D computer graphics industry has only theorized about until now: a simple, browser-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) for creating high-fidelity, real-time, fully-rigged, diverse, portable, 3D human characters.

This platform changes the game at multiple levels, both from a technical and a societal standpoint, even in ways one would not expect at first glance.

It uses artificial intelligence algorithms to allow users to achieve hyper-realistic rendering. The software produces extremely detailed 3D and 2D images, the quality of which is very close to those found in the most recent video games.

Based on the analysis of millions of photos of people, MetaHuman Creator is able to identify the facial features that define a human head and he can reproduce them identically.

In addition, the software is able to create textures of extreme quality using an artificial intelligence algorithm that results in ultra-realistic textures.

This technology provides a response to all needs in terms of digital human creation, in different areas: video games, films and the development of special projects. This new software supports the company’s presence in the film and video game market.

The human character creation tool, which has been in development for over three years, was designed to provide customers with a complete and reliable solution. He is able to create human characters from any image source: portrait, photo, screenshot …

Thanks to its modularity, it allows you to work on images of different resolutions, especially those from video games.

For each new head, the software defines a genealogy that ensures consistency in the features of the character, whether it is created from a photo of an actor, a capture of a 3D model or 'an image made in 3D.

The software is able to generate facial expressions from a database and define facial features with the profile and morphology of the chosen model.

Finally, the software can adapt the clothes to the morphology of the character so that they stick perfectly to his body.

How is it different?

If we compare Metahuman creator to other authoring software, what is different?

One term: machine learning.

To build a realistic representation, MetaHuman Creator uses artificial intelligence. Face mixtures give believable results, because MetaHuman Creator has analyzed millions of faces of real people to recreate a realistic face.

Chris Evans, the lead technical animator explains it like this:

"If you move something on your face, the software will search a huge database for different facial features to give you an anatomically realistic configuration."

Ready for action

It's incredible.

The virtual human creates, we can animate it immediately.

When the avatar is finished, MetaHuman Creator allows us to play pre-recorded animations from the main interface.

It's kind of a preview that makes our character move to show us his facial reaction. It is excellent for adjusting our avatar.

It's also a way of showing us that the character is immediately animable!

It is possible, because the skeleton always remains the same. Regardless of the avatar, we move the standard skeleton all the time. The movement points are placed in the same way for everyone, it allows to have standard animations for everyone.

We can therefore directly go through the motion capture without having to take care of the animation steps!

 

metahuman creator

 

Concretely, what does that change for you?

Several things.

The door is open to many more studios than ever before, and not just to specialist studios. Now all 3d creators can make realistic human easily and quickly.

So that means cheaper too. Metahuman creator allows you to skip all the time-consuming steps! Modeling, body rigging, facial and texturing are already done!

It is now even more efficient than buying a model already made on a 3D library and in addition, you decide the head of the character. And, we create it for you!

Yesterday was long and expensive. Today, it's easy and affordable!

Here's a look at what you could do with your metahuman:

  • A virtual superstar;
  • A real estate agent who shows a house;
  • A clone of a historical figure in a movie;
  • A silhouette character for a product presentation;
  • Characters embodied by actors, in animated footage;
  • A doctor in a treatment protocol video.

And it goes much further ...

End thoughts

Metahuman creator is still in initial development. Epic (the company behind the product) admits they're a small team with a lot of work ahead of them.

What they have created to date is an incredible tool.

The best aspects of Metahuman creator are the easy integration with Unreal Engine and the ease of building a photorealistic avatar, ready to animate in minutes.

It's very promising, keep an eye out for this tool!

MetaHuman Creator has the ability to change the landscape of digital marketing and how we connect with customers.

It can help businesses create a more realistic and lifelike digital human in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.

While it is still in its early days, the virtual influencer industry looks to be growing. Brands and agencies are starting to see the potential for working with these digital celebrities and are beginning to experiment with this new form of advertising.

Already, brands like Prada and Louis Vuitton are using virtual influencers in their advertising campaigns, so it’s only a matter of time before this type of marketing becomes more widespread.

It will be interesting to see how this trend develops over time and what impact it has on traditional marketing strategies. Have you worked with any virtual influencers? What was your experience like?

What do you think about MetaHuman Creator? Is it something you would be interested in using for your company?

If you are interested in creating a metahuman for your business, contact us!

We will take care of everything for you so that you can focus on what’s important — running your business.

October 21, 2021

Creating Your 3D Character: The Complete Guide

Okay, you want to create your 3D character (or find someone who can do it for you). It makes sense, we see our family, our friends and even our chihuahuas in three dimensions!

 

How to create the bridge between reality in three dimensions and our imagination? This guide will show you all the types of bridges you can use to make your 3D character appear!

 

Like architects, 3D character artists fill three-dimensional worlds with people, animals (a chihuahua?), magical creatures and everything that embodies life in a particular setting!

 

We can animate and even make these creations interact using sophisticated software!

Create 3D Character

No, it's not a photo. This is Chilly the 3D Chihuahua. Some tools allow us to paint the models directly, they help us create ultra realistic 3D characters!

 

Remarkably, the artist must have a combination of qualities that seem incompatible. Technical precision is combined with artistic expression, fantasy is shared with anatomical knowledge. Through these combinations, artists have a unique opportunity to create characters and creatures that ultimately become the cornerstone of a project.

 

I hear you: "3D sounds complicated. Why not go with 2D? ”

 

Let’s proceed.

 

3D vs 2D characters: how is it different?

 

Let's calm down, no one wants to organize a fight between 2D and 3D: everyone has the right to exist ...

 

But, 3D models have several advantages over 2D, especially when you want to create interactive characters (they move and communicate). The biggest advantages of 3D are:

 

1. Realism

Humans see in 3D. Nothing is more realistic and memorable than a 3D achievement.

 

2. Freedom of animation

3D characters are easy to control, since they are already created in three-dimensional space and do not need to be redrawn in multiple poses to reproduce a new movement.

 

3. Easy to adjust

When the character is finished, it's quick and easy to make changes and additions using the advanced digital tools.

 

4. Visualization

A three-dimensional model is much more vibrant, imposing and realistic, in addition to being able to be seen from different angles.

 

The 3D character in marketing

 

It’s a hot and humid summer. The sun burns your skin. What cold, sweet beverage do you take out of the cooler?

 

A Kool-Aid, of course.

Create 3D Character

No one admits it, but all are jealous.

 

The Kool-aid Man is an animated character created for marketing purposes. It transcends its original marketing functions to find its place in popular culture, developing brand recognition to a point where the consumer feels nostalgic for this symbol years later!

 

Stop. The Kool-aid man is only a 2D character. Imagine what can be done with 3D?

 

A few 3D characters are starting to represent their brand for years to come. 3D digital influencers like Lil 'Miquela (2.4M followers) have represented brands like Calvin Klein and Samsung mobile! Times and technologies change, but the benefits of animated brand characters remain the same: to create something memorable that resonates with consumers.

 

By moving to 3D, we get closer to a dimension of our customers' universe.

Create 3D Character

How do you create a 3D character?

 

It’s weird. Highly detailed 3D characters are born from primitive shapes, such as a sphere or cube. These are the basics of a model. The artist manipulates these figures to give them the desired shape using specialized digital tools.

 

The golden rule of 3D character training is to go from simple to complex.

 

It takes patience: the artist must work hard to clearly define the model. When it's done, how do we put it in more detail?

 

It’s super ingenious.

 

The polygons that form the outside of the sketch can be split into smaller pieces. This is especially important if the character is subsequently animated - smooth movement can only be created if all moving limbs (knees and elbows are particularly movable) have enough polygons!

 

We use a software called MetaHuman which allows us to create photorealistic 3D humanoid characters in a super intuitive way!

 

To make life easier for artists and avoid routine tasks, 3D modeling programs include several techniques such as copying an already completed part of the model. With this tool, you can complete the 3D character with only half or even a quarter of the character. We can therefore create a perfectly symmetrical model much faster!

 

Here is the more technical aspect of creating 3D characters. Further on, we will see what concrete tools can help us.

 

Which tools are needed to create a 3D character?

 

3D modeling presents an infinite number of possibilities. This is the present and the future. It's all around us. Making a 3D character requires not only skill and artistic vision, but anatomical knowledge, proportions, movements and facial expressions. The best model is the one who most resembles a lively person with the right topology, the right movements, and a natural smile.

 

What tools can help us? The range to choose from is truly incredible: from free to very expensive, from minimal tools for beginners to the advanced interface for seasoned enthusiasts.

 

Trying to determine the best program is impossible, each software reaches a target audience and has its advantages. We will give you some options that will greatly help you implement several ideas for creating 3D characters.

 

1. 3ds Max

Basically, only professionals use Autodesk's 3ds Max: you can do almost anything there related to 3D modeling and visualization. This software helps you to create characters, but also environments and entire worlds. 3ds Max is very functional, versatile and compatible with several extensions, which is why it is so popular around the world. This is clearly not ideal for a novice, but experts are going to love to create 3D designs from scratch. This program is not cheap, but it is worth it.

 

2. Maya

Another software from Autodesk, more specialized in animations. The artist can focus on the smallest detail, such as the movement of hair and laundry to create maximum realism for the character.

 

3. Z brush

It’s great software for professionals with a wide range of advanced tools. The artist can shape the project at the same time painting with a virtual brush. The rendering is automatic and the artist can immediately see the result of the work. It can give a huge amount of detail, like Chilly the chihuahua above!

 

4. Blender

It's free and it's made for students. It is an open source program often used for commercial projects, such as 3D objects.

 

5. Daz studio

Another free software for 3D creation and animation. Today, Studio Daz is used in the video game industry to create simple 3D characters. Daz studio has a logical interface, with lots of 3D content and videos to help the beginner.

 

If you want the benefits of the 3D character without having to spend thousands of hours learning how to create them, the most common option is to hire 3D artists.

 

How to hire 3D artists?

 

If your first choice is not a library of ready-made 3D characters, you will need to think about choosing an artist who can implement your 3D project. There are several places where you can find them.

 

Freelance portals

The opportunity to work with people who prefer to be paid per project is huge right now: Fiverr, Upwork and Freelancer. Here you can select specialists according to different criteria, for example work experience or hourly rate. Freelancers typically charge $ 25 an hour or more, depending on talents and skills.

 

Two negatives are that you cannot train freelancers the way you want and quality assurance is often lacking.

 

House employees

The major advantage of hiring an employee is that you see the employee and can communicate with them in real time. The costs are also much higher, the employer must provide the software and the equipment.

 

Salaries and benefits are also much more expensive than alternatives in most cases.

 

The studios

Transferring individual tasks or entire projects to an external studio is very popular. Not surprisingly, the team is already assembled and can start working immediately. This method of cooperation is used by the largest 3D development companies in the world.

 

The advantages are the quality assurance due to the established work processes in stable teams.

 

How much does a 3D character cost?

 

The price is affected by these factors: complexity and detail of the character, the need to prepare the animation, modifications to the character. Timing is also important.

 

Want to know how much a character would cost? Contact us over here!

April 9, 2021

How MetaHuman Creator automates the making of digital humans

MetaHuman Creator is a cloud-streamed app that enables the creation of photorealistic 3D humanoid characters intuitively, with user-friendly tools.

Read more

November 12, 2020

Christopher Travers : Art & Science of Creating a Virtual Human

virtual-influencers-neweblabs
Copyright - Virtualhumans.org

Few follow the world of virtual influencers as closely as Christopher Travers, Founder of VirtualHumans.org. He keeps close tabs on the emergence of virtual influencers; observing them, learning from them, commenting on them. He comes from a long history of building social media platforms, creating impactful growth campaigns, and finding innovative solutions for real-life problems. He has worked with companies such as Spotify, Leadtime, and Atlanta Ventures, and co-founded several start-ups. He comes to the market with a rare and profound understanding of what virtual humanity is all about.

Recently our business development director, Frederic MacDonald, caught up with Christopher, and asked him to share some of his wisdom.

He not only gave us some insight into where this market is headed, but also what brands need to think about in order to create a virtual influencer.

Here they are, in conversation:

Frederic - You’ve talked about the virtual influencer market as a “blue ocean” space. How quickly do you think this space will evolve? When will it be too late to get a foot in?

Christopher - Blue ocean strategy refers to the pursuit of a market with no competition, created by a player lowering costs and differentiating the offering to maximize value. Brands are the benefactors of companies leveraging blue ocean strategy to service them, so regardless of the state of the blue oceans available to companies building within the virtual influencer industry, brands will always enjoy the presence of virtual influencers. As the industry evolves, these virtual influencers will become increasingly normalized as a go-to medium for brands to build close relationships with young, entertainment-obsessed audiences. In the same way other content mediums experienced unknown beginnings and unique challenges of industry infancy, such as MMS, vertical video, podcasting, and more, the virtual influencer industry will eventually catch a mainstream stride and become a widely-adopted content medium for brands and individuals alike.

Frederic - What are the most important traits of a virtual influencer? For an authentic experience, do they need to resemble a real human?

Christopher -There's no single most important trait to a virtual influencer. To create a successful virtual influencer, the creator must champion demographic targeting, character definition, design, storytelling, content capture, pipeline management, people management, content amplification, community management, and more depending on the role they give the virtual influencer. In many ways, the launch of a virtual influencer greatly resembles the launch of a startup. One trait that makes or breaks most virtual influencers, though, is their ability to build and retain a meaningful audience.

Frederic - What should brands consider before launching a virtual influencer to represent them?

Christopher - Considerations all depend on a brand's specific needs, as the needs of a music label, for example, would vary heavily from the needs of a major consumer goods brand when it comes to virtual influencers. If I had to choose a specific point of advice for brands considering launching a virtual influencer to represent them, though, it would be to work with a company who knows how to build that virtual influencer's audience, as mentioned. What purpose does a branded virtual influencer with little-to-no followers serve? Media is given life when consumed.

Frederic - From your observation, what works? What doesn’t? Can you provide an example of each?

Christopher - Every virtual influencer's success can be accounted for through research. If I had to pick one, though, I would like to know why Thalasya has half a million followers—there's a minimal sense in the popularity of that virtual influencer; though I would ultimately chalk her growth up to PR. There's this outstanding story about a well-executed, highly-promising virtual influencer by the name of Kei Wells who failed due to the founding team unraveling, which you can read about in our coverage about what happened to virtual influencer Kei Wells.

I believe every team within the virtual influencer industry will experience greater net success through collaboration rather than competition, which is why I built VirtualHumans.org—to empower all the creators in this space and build valuable inroads for this growing industry. The virtual influencer industry is not a zero-sum game, and there's room for plenty more "competition" who will ultimately make the industry better for all of us.

Reach out to christopher@virtualhumans.org

November 10, 2020

Virtual Humans: A New Avenue of Influence for Brands

virtual humans
Copyright - Lil Miquela

Virtual humans* can work around the clock: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They never get sick, never grow old, and never feel elated or depressed about how many followers they have on Instagram. They can take risks that real humans cannot.

 

Brands have a lot to benefit from them.

 

It has become clear that virtual humans are no longer just a trend - they are gaining popularity, momentum, and are growing in numbers.

 

At the beginning of 2020, nine virtual influencers had more than a million followers, according to Hyprsense. The list includes Lil Miquela, Momo, Kaguya Luna, and Colonel Sanders, created by KFC.

 

Hyprsense research reported that just 112 virtual influencers in 2019 grew to 170 in early 2020, and the growth continues, as new virtual influencers go live every day.

 

The big rise of Lil Miquela

 

Lil Miquela, created by Brud, has become a virtual human sensation.

 

Her creator, Brud, was recently awarded $6 million in investment funding.

 

Lil Miquela and her friends are represented by PR firm Huxley and have received ~$30M in investment at a $125M valuation from Spark Capital, Sequoia Capital, M Ventures, BoxGroup, Chris Williams, Founders Fund, and WME.

 

Lil Miquela also got a mention in MarketingHub’s State of the Influencer Marketing 2020 Benchmark report for her incredible reach across social networks. Compared to a .7% average engagement rate average, she clocked an impressive 2.7% engagement rate. That’s at par with Kim Kardashian, with 2.76%.

 

When you compare that with Justin Bieber (4.9%) and Beyonce (1.89%), Lil Miquela is doing very well among her celebrity peers. (Celebrity engagement numbers via Pilotfishmedia.com.)

 

Brands are taking advantage.

 

It has become clear that partnering with a virtual influencer is a smart way to reach an audience. Last year, Calvin Klein brought Lil Miquela into their ad campaign “Get Real” with Bella Hadid, drawing over 400,000 views. She has also done promotion for major brands 7-Eleven, and Taki’s.

 

Lil Miquela refers to her fans as “Miqueleans.”

 

virtual human
Copyright - Lil Miquela on the Zach Sang Show

 

She’s not the only virtual human bringing brands to fans. This summer, Samsung partnered with Shudu, a virtual model created by British photographer Cameron-James Wilson, to launch its new Galaxy Z flip phone.

 

The Instagram caption read “the fusion of beauty and technology in this beautiful device is iconic and represents everything Shadu stands for.”

 

Virtual life in a real world


This summer, IKEA partnered with Aww, bringing their virtual influencer Imma to Japan during the lock-down. She is socially isolated in an IKEA furnished apartment.

 

A “reality camera” displayed her life real-time on a big screen in a busy Tokyo shopping district, watching her cook, vacuum, do yoga, and post to Instagram when her dog ate her socks.

 

Real people observed her, even photographed her, living a virtual life in a real environment.

 

virtual human
Copyright - Ikea

Blurring the line between real and virtual

 

It is becoming increasingly clear that anything is possible when the virtual and real world become intertwined.

By creating and engaging with virtual humans, brands are gaining influence. By using this novel form of interaction with customers, brands are not only attracting curious fans but also defining a new way of engaging audiences. When well-executed, virtual humans are sexy, smart, creative, and evocative. They can be whatever a brand wants them to be.

Their success does not depend on a charismatic fallible human, but rather on a well-researched plan, with a creative personality backed by measurable data. New technology makes it possible to speak with virtual humans in real-time. Their facial expressions, reactions, and movements are highly convincing.

The 3D technology is sophisticated and believable, matching the expressions of a real human, and evoking the same compassion, empathy and feeling that one might feel with a real human.

Wondering what it takes to create your own virtual human influencer? We are discovering it’s just as much a marketing exercise as it is a creative one.

Read our recent conversation with Christopher Travers, the founder of Virtualinfluencers.org. We explore what works and what doesn’t, and what you need to think about to create a digital personality with influence.

...because the world of virtual humans is getting real...

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Our definition


*A virtual human is a digital character created with computer graphics software given a personality defined by a first-person view of the world, made accessible on media platforms for the sake of influence.

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