New-age endorsement deals: Virtual influencers now making real money
social media influencers, Kyra and Naina have hit the big time. Only thing is, they’re not actually real, not entirely anyway. Titan, RealMe, MG Motors and Boat are paying a premium to advertise through 3D-animated humans or virtual influencers, who have become quite the phenomena on Instagram with views of up to 21 million for their reels.
Kyra is the handiwork of Futr Studios. The virtual character works with brands such as Titan and Boat and is paid more than real-life influencers with similar follower numbers. Naina by Avtr Meta Labs will soon launch her first AI podcast series with actors such as Richa Chadha, Sanya Malhotra, Sobhita Dhulipala and Hansika Motvani. While Kyra is a fully 3D-animated character, Naina is more of a hybrid--a face superimposed over a real human.
Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill Courses
Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteIndian School of BusinessISB Product ManagementVisitIIM KozhikodeIIMK Advanced Data Science For ManagersVisitIndian School of BusinessISB Professional Certificate in Product ManagementVisitAccording to industry experts, virtual influencers with a following of 200,000-400,000 can make Rs 5-10 lakh per campaign against Rs40,000-1 lakh for an actual human.
There is a reason for that, according to the companies.
Also read | The rise of virtual influencers: who they are; what’s driving their adoption; and the pros and cons
“Collaborating with Kyra presented Boat with unparalleled creative freedom and storytelling potential,” said Boat cofounder Aman Gupta, adding that it “opened doors to a realm of limitless possibilities.”
The higher fee is worth the expense, said Titan Eyecare head of marketing Maneesh Krishnamurthy.
“It achieves both, faster go-to-market and
