Cruelty-free German makeup brand Essence Cosmetics' Instagram page is full of the faces of influencers, including one virtual influencer of its own creation called Kenna. The brand's CGI model has her own Instagram account that introduces her as a "girlbot" and "product development intern" at Essence Cosmetics. On Instagram, Kenna can be seen swatching the brand's color cosmetics on her arm and posing with products—sometimes by being surrounded by floating packaging.
With Kenna, Essence Cosmetics is introducing the next generation of influencer marketing, which gives brands more control over the look and personality of who is representing their products—and some users on social media who are scrolling quickly may not even be able to detect that the realistic avatars are not human at all.
Image Credit: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5p525YIpuf/">Essence Cosmetics</a>
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Virtual Influencer Marketing
- The rise of virtual influencers like Kenna presents opportunities for brands to have more control over product representation through CGI models that are almost indistinguishable from real influencers.
- CGI Product Test-drives
- Creating CGI brand models like Kenna who can pose with and test products can give consumers a better idea of how products look and feel without relying on human models.
- Virtual Public Relations
- Virtual influencers like Kenna can be used not just for marketing but for PR purposes, allowing brands to craft their own narrative and image through digital models.
Where This Applies
- Cosmetics
- The cosmetics industry can take advantage of CGI models like Kenna to create more personalized advertising and increase product visualization for consumers.
- Fashion
- The fashion industry could benefit from similarly creating CGI models to showcase different clothing lines, increase personalized advertising, and benefit from more sustainable modeling techniques.
- Advertising
- CGI models like Kenna could change the advertising industry by offering more creative and budget-friendly options for advertisers to craft personalized campaigns for their brands.
