The Next Beauty Influencers Are Digital
The beauty industry's successful entry into the Metaverse lends itself to the next wave of brand ambassadors: digital influencers.
In an increasingly saturated beauty market, brands are vying for novel ways to engage consumers. With the growing popularity of the Metaverse, this digital venue is quickly becoming the next beauty playground. Given the decline of retail, the Metaverse’s fusion of the real and the virtual provides beauty brands with a unique opportunity to personalize the consumer experience once again.
Clinique was a trailblazer in the digital beauty sector with its October 2021 release of inclusive NFTs. Brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Givenchy Beauty House came next after debuting their own immersive Metaverse adaptations. As bigwig beauty players continue to follow suit, digital influencers are emerging as the latest step toward leveraging the virtual frontier.
Digital influencers are more or less what they sound like. They look and act like humans on your screen, but only exist within a virtual universe. Think Lil Miquela circa 2016. Since these digital ambassadors are created and easily manipulated by companies, they make for ideal spokespeople. This tech application is unsurprising considering the ubiquitous use of influencer marketing over recent years. With some influencers getting paid upwards of $50,000 per post, the marketing strategy clearly garners substantial results. Why not make them digital and cut the exorbitant cost?
Nars began utilizing digital brand ambassadors, called “Power Players” to promote its Powermatte Lipsticks in December 2022. The three meta-humans, each inspired by the collection’s most popular shades, interact with customers across Nars’ website and social media platforms. Before that came Prada, whose cyber muse named “Candy” was used to promote the brand’s fragrance.
Will digital influencers replace real influencers? While the popular opinion doesn’t think so, data reveals that digital influencers receive three times more engagement than human ones. That being said, the obvious lack of authenticity among virtual humans presents a major issue. Could there ever be a meta-human equivalent to mega influencers like Alix Earle? Only time will tell.
