Luxury brands are exploring the metaverse by creating or engaging virtual influencers, and they are as 'real' as they can get
A team of digitally-charged people are entering the virtual space, taking over feeds once dominated by music artists, celebrities, and models–with more cropping up each month. What's different is that these brand spokespersons are not actually real people.
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The proliferation of avatars in the rapidly developing metaverse, one of our generation's most radical developments in technology, is already driving some impressive results for all things Web3. Various industries have quickly pivoted and started working on metaverse-centric products, from e-sports to music, to real estate and even fashion.
Brands like Gucci, Givenchy, Moschino, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Balmain, and Prada were quick to board the hype train, changing up their marketing game and engaging their meta communities through the leading influencers of this space–hyper-realistic CGI humans aka meta-fluencers.
When Miquela Sousa (lilmiquela), the world's first computer-generated social media influencer, burst into the social media scene in April 2016, people were taken aback by how eerily lifelike she was. Created by Brud co-founders Trevor McFedries and Sara Decou, Miquela is an effortlessly hip Brazilian-American 19-year-old Instagram model who hails from Downey, California.
The initial reception for her debut? Problematic fakery, uncomfortable attractiveness, a danger to children, have the potential to easily manipulate young people, and a threat to their wellbeing. "There’s no way that hot cartoons are actually the future of fashion advertising," one article said.
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She has since amassed a large social media following (over three million Instagram followers at the time of writing) and profiled by a number of publications. She has also been pictured with a slew of celebrities including Diplo, Millie Bobby Brown, Yuna, Saweetie, Bella Hadid, and Nile Rogers, and spotted decked out in luxury brands such as Chanel, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Prada, and Fendi.
Her sponsored posts currently go for US$8,500 a pop and there are plans for further evolution of her character arc. Brud-owner Dapper Labs aims to make lilmiquela more community-driven. enabling fans to use tokens on the blockchain to vote on her character arc, including deciding which photos to post on social media.
The world is at the cusp of the future of fashion and Miquela is at the helm, still trailblazing six years on. In an era where one doesn't even have to 'exist' to be an influencer, brands are all in because said influencers are 100 per cent controllable, can appear just about anywhere, and can fit specific brand needs. They also never age.
Following in her footsteps are a new cast of picture-perfect characters gunning for their share of the meta-pie in Asia. Here, we list the seven Asian metaverse influencers (and their 'country of origin') that brands love and through which they are communicating and engaging with the Gen Z, the rising major consumer segment.
1. Singapore: Rae
Created by: Unknown
Debut: October 2020
Collaborations: Audi Singapore, Moschino, Monsoon Patrol, Charles & Keith, Valentino, Gucci
Fun fact: In July 2021, Rae became the first Southeast Asian virtual influencer to mint a collectible series. Titled Take A Byte, the three-piece animated non-fungible token (NFT) art series took 50 hours individually to conceptualise and create.
2. Thailand: AI Ailynn
Created by: SIA Bangkok
Debut: September 2021
Collaborations: AIS Thailand
Fun fact: SIA Bangkok describes AI Ailynn as a "21-year-old young woman with a bold, smart, modern, mysterious, yet confident character."
3. South Korea: Rozy Oh
Created by: Sidus Studio X
Debut: August 2020
Collaborations: Chevrolet, Shinhan Life Insurance, Calvin Klein, Maison Margiela, Hera Beauty, Jill Stuart, Pandora, Tiffany & Co, W.Concept
Fun fact: Her name means 'one and only' in Korean and she's known as a 'gamseong jangin' (a Korean phrase for 'expression expert') due to her amazing facial expressions and body language. To date, she has landed more than 100 sponsorships which Sidus Studio X is still trying to process.
4. Japan: Imma
Created by: Aww Inc.
Debut: July 2018
Collaborations: Porsche, Ikea, Dior, Puma, Nike, Calvin Klein, Valentino, Magnum China, Boss, Lenovo, SK-II, Salvatore Ferragamo, Desigual, Adidas, Amazon Fashion, Isabel Marant, Off-White
Fun fact: Imma, which means 'now' in Japanese, owns a specially developed fashion line and drives a sleek Porsche Taycan.
5. Japan: Plusticboy aka Zinn
Created by: Aww Inc.
Debut: July 2018
Collaborations: SLY x Puma, Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo 2020, Hankyu Men’s Osaka’s fashion festival
Fun fact: He's the younger brother of Imma, Japan's first virtual human. He's currently dating Ria, also a virtual human.
6. China: Ayayi
Created by: Ranmai Technology
Debut: May 2021
Collaborations: P&G for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Bose, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, The Middlehouse
Fun fact: Ayayi is the digital manager of Alibaba's Tmall Super Brand. In September 2021, Ayayi released limited-edition NFT mooncakes and physical gift boxes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
7. South Korea: Sua
Created by: On Mind
Debut: July 2021
Collaborations: eotd, Papa Recipe, All Saints Korea, Maison Margiela, Laneige, Maison Kitsune, Helmut Lang, Bape
Fun fact: On designing Sua, On Mind designer Kim Hyeoung-il said that he was inspired by Blackpink’s Jennie and Twice's Tzuyu.
