Can Virtual Influencers Succeed in the UK Market?

Virtual influencer marketing in the TikTok platform has entered its experimental stage because of increased popularity and success of virtual influencer marketing implemented by brands and agencies. Virtual influencers are computer-generated personas that use computer-generated imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to post content.

Being the leader in short-form video categories, TikTok cannot avoid innovations. One may wonder how far this development can go? Will it succeed in the UK market? With the increasing popularity of virtual influencers among brands, experimenting with their usage becomes more and more relevant. Although it is far from being a replacement for human influencers and creators, it widens the definition of influencers. It is quite clear why brands opt to try out virtual influencers – due to highly competitive and trend-driven nature of the platform. However, it is likely that they will not succeed in the UK market – people prefer influencers that can relate to them and are honest. This article will discuss whether virtual influencers can make any headway in TikTok influencer marketing campaigns in the UK market.

Virtual Influencers Defined

Virtual influencers are computer-generated personas that behave and create content similar to their human counterparts. In most cases, computer-generated imagery technologies are used to design virtual influencers; however, AI technologies are sometimes implemented.

There is nothing realistic about virtual influencers as they do not really exist except for their marketing campaigns. One of the major differences between them and human influencers is that they are controlled by a number of people. In some cases, virtual influencers look exaggerated and unreal, while in others, they look realistic enough to be indistinguishable from human influencers.

In TikTok influencer marketing campaigns, virtual influencers follow the same principles as real influencers do. They post videos, use popular hashtags, collaborate with brands, and create communities. Virtual influencers' content includes showcasing products, discussing their lifestyles, playing video games, and doing sports.

Benefits of Virtual Influencers Usage

Fully-Controlled Campaigns

As virtual influencers do not really exist outside of the campaign they participated in, they can produce fully-controlled content. Since there are no restrictions on their behaviour and actions, it is easy to guarantee total compliance with brand guidelines. Unlike human influencers that may occasionally decide not to follow your instructions, virtual influencers will never cause any problem.

Human influencers do not shy from posting videos with controversial or offensive content; therefore, your TikTok influencer marketing campaign may suffer from this kind of activity. However, virtual influencers never make such mistakes as they always follow your rules.

Constant Campaigns

Unlike humans, virtual influencers are not limited in terms of sleep and nutrition; therefore, they never run out of energy to post more videos. Collaboration with virtual influencers is convenient as they do not need much time for content creation. What is more, virtual influencers are able to take part in several marketing campaigns at once.

Why the UK Market Is Not Interested in Them

Lack of Trust from the Side of Consumers

Even though usage of virtual influencers will greatly improve the efficiency of your marketing campaigns, there is one important thing to note – lack of trust from your followers. Since social network users know about influencer marketing well, they are ready to react negatively to any hint at inauthenticity.

When the trust between the consumer and the influencer breaks, further promotion becomes impossible. Social network followers play a critical role in shaping customers' opinion; thus, you should be careful with your choice of influencers for your marketing campaign.

Inauthenticity Issue

The key point in a successful TikTok influencer marketing campaign is authenticity of the influencer as he or she should be natural and spontaneous. Virtual influencers can hardly be defined as authentic due to their computer-generated nature.

Although virtual influencers sound like a cool idea, it should be noted that people in Britain value authenticity and relatability when it comes to influencers. Besides, it can be considered illegal for a brand to mislead their followers by hiring a virtual influencer for their TikTok marketing campaign. It is crucial to be open about your choice of influencer in your campaign to avoid any complications.

Where Virtual Influencers Can Be Used in the Future

Even though there are many advantages related to the use of virtual influencers in your marketing campaign, there are still some limitations. There are many sectors that are not suitable for the application of virtual influencers, but there are sectors that can benefit from them in the future.

Fashion Sector

The fashion industry relies heavily on high-quality photos of clothes, shoes, etc.; thus, the use of virtual influencers looks quite promising. Another advantage is their ability to adapt to the changing seasons fast and to be present in several campaigns simultaneously. For TikTok agency professionals, fashion is the perfect industry to implement virtual influencers.

Gaming Industry

In case if your product is a video game, virtual influencers can help you reach an audience that would appreciate such content. Gaming industry has been successfully using virtual influencers in order to promote their games. Hiring a TikTok virtual influencer for a marketing campaign will bring good results.

What is more, virtual influencers can be implemented in your games and encourage your audience to interact with them.

Experimentation Campaigns

Experimenting campaigns usually aim to create buzz around new products. Virtual influencers are quite helpful for that purpose. If you want to promote your brand, consider a TikTok virtual influencer for your campaign.

Case Study: Lil Miquela and Successful Brand Campaigns

The most popular virtual influencer in the world today is probably Lil Miquela that was designed by Brud. Although she is not based in the UK, she managed to take part in many campaigns that targeted British audience. She collaborated with many popular brands, including Prada, Calvin Klein, and Samsung, to promote their products.

The collaboration with Calvin Klein is rather interesting, especially since it featured a real person – Bella Hadid. Despite the fact that it was a successful marketing campaign, there were still those people who doubted the usefulness of virtual influencers for TikTok influencer marketing.
From the perspective of TikTok influencer marketing, this virtual influencer demonstrates potential opportunities that can be provided by virtual influencers. At the same time, the virtual influencer's example also proves that a good story and high-quality content are necessary for success.

Conclusion

The emergence of virtual influencers in TikTok influencer marketing is a revolution. Nevertheless, there are still some limitations regarding virtual influencers; thus, it is too early to say that they will become the primary source of content in the marketing sphere. These limitations are related to lack of authenticity, trust, and audience scepticism, as well as inability of virtual influencers to express their feelings.

Usage of virtual influencers to market your products through TikTok influencer marketing campaigns can be quite successful. However, remember that virtual influencers will not be able to establish the same relationships with you as human influencers can.