Virtual Influencers in Marketing Communications

Student: Zhigunov Kantemir

Educational Programme: Advertising and Public Relations (Bachelor)

Year of Graduation: 2020

The appearance of virtual influencers (virtual influencers, virtual inflation) dates back to 2016, when an account called "@lilmiquela" appeared in Instagram social network. This project is owned by a small California company "Brud", which is engaged in creating 3d models. Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela) is a 3d model of a young girl who interacts with the stars of modern fashion, the Internet. In the photo, often there are clothes of modern fashion brands, devices of companies engaged in the production of any equipment and other objects whose appearance in the accounts of virtual agents of influence has the character of advertising integration. This study, conducted as part of graduation qualifying work, aims to: determine the causes of the appearance of virtual agents of influence and reasons for their popularity among the surveyed sample. In addition, the purpose of the study also includes the construction of assumptions in the trends of social media development.

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