About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Content we like, Opinion, Sector knowledge

The rise of the virtual influencer

The rise of the virtual influencer

With the influencer market expected to reach $15 billion by 2022, there is no denying that this marketing strategy can add incredible value to a campaign. The virtual influencer is becoming increasingly important given the current climate of the world. Influencer marketing is often associated with just B2C as we see it so regularly on our personal newsfeeds. However, while we see B2C influencer marketing in the form of social media posts and product endorsements, B2B can use it successfully and effectively through guest blogs, Q&As and even speaker line ups at industry events.

Although influencer marketing has been around for a while in various forms, it has seen a huge surge in popularity over recent years as the internet and social media has given public figures the opportunity to communicate directly to their followers on a daily basis. As customers are always looking for authenticity, brands are able to draw from pre-existing trust and loyalty between the influencer and their followers.

As with any marketing tool, influencer marketing is constantly evolving, and an oversaturated market has forced brands to create innovative ways of using this technique in their strategies. Where there was once an abundance of trust between the virtual influencer and their following, this has become fractured and unstable following numerous scandals and comical online blunders. From selecting the wrong influencer for a specific audience and brand instructions being left on social post captions, to influencers using hateful, derogatory language and making guarantees they are unable to keep, there is a lot that can go wrong when dealing with influencer marketing.

The main problem with this form of marketing is that humans are imperfect and likely to slip up and make mistakes at some point. This is something that, on a human level, can often be forgiven but in the world of social media, no mistake is too small for the trolls and this can have detrimental impact on brand reputation.

The virtual solution

In an effort to resolve the issue of trust, many brands have been looking to the latest technology for their answers. In a world that has no room for error, virtual influencers provide the ideal solution. According to HypeAuditor these hyper-perfect avatars can generate up to three times more engagement than human influencers. This begs the question of how social media – a platform that was designed to enhance human connection – is able to sell consumers this virtual dream?

Social media has a successful history of putting pressure on users to obtain the unobtainable and brands have homed in on the value that this can bring to them. The idea of everyone always wanting more, bigger, better products, holidays, facial features and lifestyles, means that we will never stop investing in brands that we feel can deliver this to us. Virtual influencers are perfect for this – they are projected onto our smartphones, tablets and laptops in the form of avatars. They’re so photorealistic they can hardly be distinguished from actual humans, aside from the fact that they do not possess any flaws. And the real benefit for businesses? Virtual influencers are unpaid, unbiased, available at the click of a button and evidently increasing in popularity.

Although the concept of virtual influencers has a futuristic feel to it, there has been a build up towards it for many years. The virtual band Gorillaz curated such a following that they collaborated with brands such as G-shock, Microsoft and Converse, who saw the value in incorporating their personas in their products. Last year Coca Cola signed EA Sport’s Fifa 18’s video game character for an undisclosed sum of money as one of its celebrity ambassadors.

A future for B2B?

While virtual influencers are a good fit for B2C, it is questionable if this can translate into the world of B2B. Effectively, the role of B2C influencers is to play the part of an aspirational figure, while B2B tends to shy away from the influencer title and their position of influence is usually a byproduct of their expertise. This is why content such as guest blogs work so well in this market, and professionals often avoid using the ‘influencer’ title as it can damage their reputation as a trusted expert. What we may see within the world of B2B is collaborations of influencers feeding information and opinion collectively into a portal to create a sort of ‘super influencer’ that companies can interact with. This is similar to what Prophix achieved through their interactive audio functionality on their microsite.

B2B traditionally takes to marketing trends at a slower pace to B2C so it may be some time before we establish the full potential of the virtual influencer in this market, but the chances are that it will soon catch up. Until this happens, B2B companies will need to focus their efforts on other methods that can enhance their brand through word of mouth and increase trust from their target market.

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Content we like, Opinion, Sector knowledge

B2B thought leadership PR – everything you need to know

Meet Skout’s new owners!

Browse more blog posts

Posted on
byRob Skinner
In B2B PR, thought leadership is one of those concepts that gets spoken about all the time. But do you actually know what thought leadership is? And do you have the right tools and skills in place to make it work effectively for you? In this post we aim to clarify what B2B thought leadership can do and help you gain greater benefit from it.
Posted on
bySkout team
If you haven’t heard by now, Skout is under new ownership! No, we haven’t been bought out – in fact it’s quite the opposite. As of last week, Skout officially became an employee-owned business. This was achieved by the founding shareholders, Rob and Claire, signing 100% ownership over to a newly established Employee Ownership Trust acting on behalf of the...
Posted on
byClaire Lamb
A few weeks ago, the entire Skout team visited the beautiful and historic city of Palma, Majorca for our annual kick off event. It’s been a long time in the planning (pre-pandemic to be precise) and the first time we’ve been abroad for a kick off to the new financial year. We’ve always found kick off meetings a great way...
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
TikTok is increasingly being used as a platform for B2B companies to implement their marketing strategy, aiding in brand exposure, lead generation and profile building. But, where does paid TikTok advertising come into play? Is it an effective tool to engage with B2B audiences, or is the ROI just not worth it?  If you’re the least bit social media savvy,...
Posted on
byClaire James
In May I was fortunate to be able to attend the recent UK Construction Week at Excel in London and see the strides forward an industry, that has become recognised as one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, is making in tackling the thorny issue of achieving Net Zero. In his keynote on day one, Lord Callanan, Under Secretary...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
In the world of B2B marketing, it is essential that you have a solid B2B marketing strategy in place to effectively connect with your target audience.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
Why was PR your chosen career?  PR is all about storytelling, with so much opportunity for creativity and content creation. Since I’ve always loved writing and always had a big imagination, I thought that PR would be the ideal career to channel my creativity. I’m all about communication, and PR really allows you to foster meaningful relationships. I’m already learning...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
As a smaller business, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to sustainability. Sure, we all do our best to use the right recycling bin at home, and bring our re-usable coffee cups to work. But with serious pressures now mounting from the government – which pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 –...
Posted on
byLee Simpson
Another week, another round of mass layoffs in the tech sector. With Amazon (AWS) and Meta cutting thousands of jobs, and further layoffs at Salesforce and of course Twitter, it has felt a bit like the tech world has been imploding of late. This is of course concerning for us working in B2B tech PR, but more importantly for the...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
2023 is off to a strong start here at Skout.  Our business has continued to grow with the addition of some exciting new clients. With new clients, has come new hires, who we’ve also been excited to welcome on board the team. And if our recent win for Best Marketing and PR Consultancy at the PR Brilliance Awards is anything...

Send us a message

Download The B2B business relationship report

The B2B relationship renaissance – did digital kill it? The importance of relationships throughout the customer buying journey. Please complete the form below and receive a download link via email.