In recent years, digital influencers have become key players in digital marketing strategies for brands and companies. Whether macro or nano influencers, they capture audiences with their ability to create relevant content, shape their audiences’ perceptions and win the battle for attention in the digital environment.
In Brazil, more than half a million people work with influencer marketing. According to a survey by Influency.me, three out of every four internet users follow influencers on social media.
High engagement and financial return are the biggest advantages of the strategy of countless brands that enjoy the reputation of influencers. Fashion, gastronomy, finance, technology, makeup, travel, health and fitness… The universe of topics of interest exemplifies the high potential of this type of digital marketing strategy for business.
The reputation and trust established between the influencer and their followers is transferred to the brand, creating a more authentic bond. Influencer marketing works with an organic approach. The influencer with millions of followers increases recognition and product sales. 75% of people surveyed by Influency.me said that they have already made some type of purchase after being recommended by an influencer on social media and 58% consider it likely that they will buy again following a recommendation from digital influencers.
However, when human influencers make a mistake, cancellation is inevitable. Most of the time, it contaminates the brand’s reputation and creates an image crisis for the business. Mondlez, owner of Lacta, was the target of criticism and boycotts after hiring Felipe Neto to the Bis influencer pool.
The opposite can also occur. The lack of adequate regulation makes it possible for illegal gambling websites to operate in the country and digital influencers such as Viih Tube, Juju Ferrari, Jon Vlogs and Mel Maia are being investigated by the courts for advertising the plane game on their networks. The platform is suspected of fraud.
Other human aspects, such as a lack of emotional intelligence and vanity, can generate crises between the influencer and the coordination of marketing campaigns. The antidote began to be tested. The market is already creating digital influencers through artificial intelligence. Examples are Aitana Lpez and Maia, beautiful young women generated by AI. The success of the initiative by the Spanish agency The Clueless is seen in the hundreds of followers on Instagram and in the monthly income of each of them, which exceeds R$ 54 thousand (10 thousand).
AI influencers can lower costs, benefit small businesses and generate fully tailored personas for brands. On the other hand, we run the risk of flooding digital marketing with unrealistic beauty standards and losing the spontaneity and expert characteristics sought in human influencers, who are able to captivate and dialogue with their audiences in an accurate way because of their profile and qualifications.
Here in Brazil, companies and brands have been using avatars in advertising for some time, such as Nat Natura and Lu da Magalu, which is very different from digital influencers using AI. Whether the trend of Influencers created by AI will grow to the point of becoming a phenomenon in 2024, with the emergence of new cases around the world, and whether it will gain traction among the Brazilian public, is too early to predict. To be checked.
The truth is that when we think about brand spokespeople, we are also talking about reputation. Today, countless institutions have invested in the strategy of digital influencers to reach their audiences and boost their businesses. After all, in a country where social networks guide the media ecosystem, influencers generate value for brands by attracting qualified leads (potential customers) and directly converting sales. This only happens because the influencer has the trust and loyalty of their audience. For all of this, it is certain that the AI influencer will still need a lot of humans to build it.
*Patrícia Marins is a founding member of Oficina Consultoria, co-founder of Women on Board, director of the Brazilian Association of Communication Agencies (Abracom) and professor of the Public Relations and Diplomacy course at the Rio Branco Institute (MRE). Patrícia is the author of the book “Much Beyond Media Training, the spokesperson in the era of hyperconnection”.
