Forget Roger Federer. Your brand’s next ambassador might be a sausage.
How virtual influencers are changing the testimonial game.
German fashion label Hugo Boss recently announced their partnership with two virtual influencers, Imma and Nobody Sausage. It’s part of their rebranding strategy aimed at making them more digital and relevant to a younger audience.
Imma and Mr Sausage were featured in the brand’s latest Spring/Summer campaign alongside real people such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber.
What the hell is a virtual influencer anyway?
One could compare a virtual influencer with a brand mascot, such as Tony the Tiger or the Geico Gecko — who happens to have his own social media presence.
In essence, virtual influencers are digital characters that have no real-life counterpart. They purely exist in the digital realm and are all the rage, especially in South Korea, China and Japan, where most of them originate.
Hugo Boss ambassador Imma is one of several digital characters created by Japanese virtual human company Aww Inc.
These characters post regularly about their daily lives on their own social media channels, very much like us, their flesh-and-blood counterparts.
This content often reflects the real world and deals with every day, the mundane and special moments in the lives of these avatars.
They have depth, a backstory, emotions and share their thoughts — everything carefully curated by their creators.
And they don’t have to look lifelike, like Imma. Nobody Sausage looks like, well… a sausage. Then there’s Hatsune Miku who is an international Manga pop star. And then there’s Pete — who’s a pizza roll.
Next level ambassadors
Imma is a prime example. Besides already having bagged the job at Hugo Boss, she also had gigs for Porsche Japan, IKEA, Dior, Puma, Nike, Valentino, Amazon, Calvin Klein and Valentino, among others.
Or take Kenna, who “did a four-month internship” at Essence Cosmetics, posting daily about her life. The company became central to the virtual influencer’s narrative on social media. She also interacted with other employees, displaying the office culture and helping create a holistic view of Essence Cosmetics, making the brand appear more likeable.
Brands have even created their own virtual influencers, the Geico Gecko is one of them. Barbie and Minnie Mouse are other examples.
What makes them so intriguing is that they’re perceived as authentic and honest. Their fans connect and communicate with them.
From a brand’s perspective, the influencers are scandal-free, reliable and their content is curated.
What’s not to like?
Artificial intelligence makes these avatars even more intriguing — as they can communicate directly with fans without the need for a large team to filter through all the messages and comments.
And with advancements in the metaverse space, these virtual influencers will be able to own homes, meet and play games with their fans and go shopping at your brand’s virtual store.
It sounds like science-fiction.
But we’re closer than one might think.
So, is your next brand ambassador going to be a sausage?
