🕶️ Virtual Influencers: Pseudonymity, VTubers, Brand Mascots

Welcome to the 271 new founders who joined last week. Let's talk about 🕶️ Virtual Influencers.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Hey there, Welcome to the 271 new founders who joined last week. Did a friend send you this report? To get the next Trends.vc Report, [sign up here](=). Let's talk about 🕶️ Virtual Influencers What you’ll learn: - How to speak unlimited languages? - How to avoid key-person risk? - How to use virtual influencers in the real world? - What do virtual models have that humans don't? - How to create custom digital characters? - How to build a pseudonymous personal brand? - What interactive experiences to offer? - How to minimize business costs using virtual influencers? - What are the most successful virtual influencers? - How do virtual influencers affect the relatability of your brand? - How to use voice cloning tools? ​[👉 Become a Trends Pro Member]( to unlock the full report Trends.vc is Hiring: If you know anyone who likes to earn as they learn, we're looking for more [Trends.vc Analysts]( as we're returning to a weekly report schedule. Do you know someone who’s a good fit? Earn a [$1,000 referral bonus]( when they pass the trial phase. ​ This issue is brought to you by [Exploding Topics](… How do you discover trends before they take off? Well, that’s exactly why [Exploding Topics]( was created. They continuously monitor millions of consumer behavior signals to identify under-the-radar markets, products, and investment opportunities. (For example, here’s a small sample of trends that they found super early) Which is why leading brands like Google, Shopify, Deloitte, Amazon, and Netflix use [Exploding Topics]( to see trends before they happen. So if you want to discover [under-the-radar markets](, startups with exponential growth signals, trending DTC products, or just want to see “the next big thing” today, give [Exploding Topics]( a shot. The best part? They offer a [14-day trial]( on all of their plans, which gives you access to their [full trends database]( and other advanced features. [Try Exploding Topics Pro]( ​ ​ ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Virtual Influencers​ =​ "Why hire a celebrity, a supermodel, or even a social media influencer to market your product when you can create the ideal brand ambassador from scratch?" – Tiffany Hsu ​ ​ 💎 Why It Matters Virtual influencers have unlimited time and speak unlimited languages. They can produce endless content. ​ 🔍 Problem Human influencers make mistakes and have constraints. ​ 💡 Solution Virtual influencers remove key-person risk. You can choose how they look, what they do and where they are. ​ 🏁 Players Virtual Influencers - ​[Squeaky and Roy]( • Virtual ‘brothers’ of the D’Amelio family. - ​[Beefluencer]( • The first bee influencer raising money to save the bees. - ​[Body by Ralph](=) • A fitness influencer that can’t take his own advice. - ​[Lu do Magalu]( • The most followed virtual influencer in the world. ​ Virtual Influencer Tools - ​[Alethea AI]( • Generates interactive AI Characters from a description in natural language. - ​[VSeeFace]( • Free, highly configurable face and hand-tracking VRM. - ​[Reface]( • Create realistic face swap videos, GIFs and memes with just one selfie. - ​[Avatarify]() • Pick a song, apply it to your photo and share singing portraits. - ​[Hologram Labs]( • Create and play with your ‘digital self’/virtual avatar. ​ 🔮 Predictions - Human influencers will create virtual avatars to scale their time and reach. - Deceased singers from [Whitney Houston]( to [Frank Zappa]( have performed concerts with music holograms. - ​[Luka Dončič]( created[Luk.AI]() on his TikTok to give his fans an immersive and interactive[experience](. - ​[Grimes’]() virtual alter-ego goes by[WarNymph](=). She’s in[Beta](). - ​[Ariana Grande](=) went on a virtual tour in[Fortnite](). - ​[Fashion]() and skincare brands will use virtual models to sell their products. They are faster, cheaper and easier to work with. - ​[AI Model Agency](=) is an AI fashion agency that lets brands and models choose from a wide range of styles to create the perfect photo. - ​[L’Oréal]( launched a ‘virtual idol’ in China named Mr. Ou. He’s a 24-year-old eco-activist who works in the fashion industry. - ​[Metaverse Architects’ AI model agency]( offers scalable, customizable and highly accurate virtual models for brands. - ​[Tiffany]( partnered with a virtual influencer[AYAYI](=) to model and promote its Knot Collection. - ​[ASOS]() used a[virtual model](=) for its augmented reality catwalk. - ​[Deep Agency]() lets you hire virtual models for your project. - Virtual influencers will participate in real-world events. They don’t need breaks and can perform in more than one place at a time. - ​[Xinhua News]() is a Chinese media outlet that unveiled an[AI news presenter](=) who can cover news 24/7. - ​[Miquela]( debuted a song at[Lollapalooza](. Her top song has[63 million listens]() on Spotify. - ​[Jared Leto]( was interviewed by[Fubuki](=) on his press tour for Morbius. - ​[Cinder]() appeared at SXSW as a[host and mixologist](). ​ ☁️ Opportunities - Create AI-generated [podcasts](=) and videos with customized characters and voices. - ​[Cherie Hu]() generated an audio version of her newsletter read aloud by an AI clone of[her own voice](=). - ​[Noah]( fed an AI his LinkedIn profile. It wrote and recorded an entire podcast for him[in his own voice](. - ​[Ramsri]( created a personalized guided meditation generated entirely by AI. - ​[Matt](=) created an[AI clone of himself]( so that he could conduct an interview. - ​[CoffeeVectors]() generated voice acting entirely based on a written script. - Build a [pseudonymous]( [personal brand]( using virtual influencer technology like voice changers and VTuber skins. - ​[Charlotte Fang](=) is the pseudonym for the founder of[Remilia](). She plans to turn profile picture NFTs into avatars that can[replace faces and bodies](=). - ​[Pacman](=) is the founder of[Blur](=), a[1,400,000,000-dollar]( NFT marketplace. He uses a virtual avatar for[podcasts and interviews](. - ​[CL207]() live streams trading and podcasts with a[cat character VTuber](=). - Build interactive experiences that let audiences interact with “you” whenever they want. - ​[Serah Reikka’s](=) audience can chat with her whenever they want via a[Telegram bot](). - ​[Caryn Marjorie]( will be your virtual girlfriend for[$1/minute]( on Snapchat. You can[invest]() in her technology. - ​[Raelice](=) uses[VTChaos]( to let Twitch Chat control his VTuber avatar in real time with chat commands. ​ 🏔️ Risks - Lack of Authenticity • People demand authenticity and relatability from brands which virtual avatars may not have. TikTok[requires]() virtual influencers to be tagged as such.[Kyle Vorbach](​[faked]( his luxury Instagram life with AI. - Anonymity • It can be hard to hold anonymous virtual influencers accountable for their business or ethics. ​ 🔑 Key Lessons - You can minimize costs. Virtual influencers have minimal recurring production costs and can appear in many places at once. - Virtual influencers are easier to control. A human model might feel uncomfortable being used as a virtual assistant on your website. A virtual influencer won’t complain. ​ 🔥 Hot Takes - Virtual influencers are not new. Mickey Mouse and Superman share many of the same qualities. They’re 100% controllable, can speak different languages and are “immortal”. - Humans and computers will become one. It will become near-impossible to distinguish between robots and humans on the internet. ​ 😠Haters “We want to connect with real people. Human influencers are more effective at building emotional connections.” ​While authentic human connection will always be valuable. Sometimes it may not fit your budget or schedule. This is when virtual influencers are a good option. ​ ​“Virtual influencers create a false sense of reality. They create distorted perceptions of what is possible or desirable for humans.”​ Virtual influencers can be used for good or evil. If a creator has deceptive intentions, the virtual influencer will amplify that. Creators are responsible for what their virtual influencers say and do. Platforms are also responsible for holding creators accountable. ​ ​“Virtual influencers will be biased by default. If they are trained on unethical data, how can we teach them to be ethical?” ​This is a valid concern. Systemic biases will affect how virtual influencers “think” and act. Creators need to make efforts to adjust for this societal flaw in their training data.[This article]() says that virtual influencers will use their ability to mimic human influencers to exploit our emotions. ​ 🔗 Links - ​[Anyone played with Synthesia or D-ID yet?]( • The tweet behind this report. - ​[Who is Virtual Music Artist and Dancer, Polar?]( • An interview with the creator behind viral virtual musician POLAR. - ​[ElevenLabs AI Voice Cloning is the Future](=) • A written guide to voice cloning and the ElevenLabs API. ​ 📁 Related Reports - ​[Personal Brands]( • You can scale your personal brand by being or creating virtual influencers. - ​[Influencer Marketing]() • Virtual influencers unlock massive new opportunities for influencer marketing. - ​[The Creator Economy](=) • The creators behind virtual influencers are well-positioned to monetize their audiences. - ​[Audience-First Products]() • Virtual influencers will build and sell products within their niche. - ​[AI-Generated Content]() • Most virtual influencers rely on AI-generated content to scale their brand. ​ 📈 Unlock the Full Report ​[Trends PRO #0114 — Virtual Influencers]( has more insights. What you’ll get: - 11 Virtual Influencers (175% More) - 14 Virtual Influencer Tools (180% More) - 7 Predictions (133% More) - 7 Opportunities (133% More) - 5 Risks (150% More) - 4 Key Lessons (100% More) - 4 Hot Takes (100% More) - 9 Links (200% More) With Trends Pro you'll learn: - (📈 Pro) How will social media platforms enable virtual influencers? - (📈 Pro) How to use a virtual influencer as your brand mascot? - (📈 Pro) How to humanize your brand? - (📈 Pro) How to profit from selling NFTs? - (📈 Pro) How to start a virtual influencer talent agency? - (📈 Pro) How to sell tools for VTubers? - (📈 Pro) What are the benefits of joining a VTuber agency? - (📈 Pro) How to use virtual influencers in the metaverse? - (📈 Pro) How to sell a virtual influencer? - (📈 Pro) What new jobs do virtual influencers create? - (📈 Pro) What legal risks do virtual influencers pose? - (📈 Pro) How can the appearance of your virtual influencer help you? - (📈 Pro) How to go viral on TikTok? - (📈 Pro) How will virtual influencers change our online identities? - (📈 Pro) How are virtual influencers growing on Twitch? - And much more… �€‹ ​ ​[Become a Trends Pro Member]( and join 1,200+ founders enjoying... - 🧠[Mastermind Groups]( • Share goals, progress and solve problems together with fellow founders. Each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday. ​ - 📈 [Trends Pro Reports]( • Get 100+ Pro reports with 300% more insights into new markets, ideas and business models. Including the Pro Version of this report. ​ - 🧍 [Daily Standups]( • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Make new friends, unlock masterminds and more by building standup streaks. ​ - 💲 [100k+ Startup Discounts]( • Access $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Webflow, Typeform, Miro and more. ​ - 🛎️ [Next Up](• Collaborate on and contribute to upcoming reports to get featured in Free and Pro Reports. ​ - 💬 [Questions]( • Move faster with help, lessons and expert feedback from seasoned founders. ​ - 🤓 [Fav Finds](• Access high-signal, community-curated tools, tweets, guides and more. ​ - 🏅 [Wins]( • Celebrate big and small wins of aspiring and experienced founders. ​ Want to know what it feels like to be a Trends Pro Member? - Max Haining [built and grew]( 100DaysOfNoCode to [12,000+ students](. ​ - Lwany Calderon got her [first newsletter sponsor]( for Petite Fashion Weekly. ​ - Mehmet Gonullu and Uwe Dreissigacker [partnered]( for an episode of The CTO Show. ​ - Mushfiq Sarker grew The Website Flip to [6 figures]( after reading the Paid Newsletters report. ​ - Andrew Pierno [met his co-founder]( and launched the Micro Private Equity firm, XOXO Capital. ​ - Josh Walker saved $650 and 25+ hours for his agency with [tools recommended]( by Trends Pro Members. ​ [📈 Become a Trends Pro Member]( ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Thanks to[Meiko S. Patton](=),[Vajresh Balaji](,[Thomas Sorheim]() and Uwe Dreissigacker. We had a great time jamming on this report. ​ ✏️[Harry]() researched and wrote this report.[Dru](=) and[Emin](=) edited this report. ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Last but not least... Want to become a Lifetime Trends Pro Member? Collect the [MetaTrends #0114 NFT]()​ ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ To get a web version of this report, [click here](​ To become a Trends Pro Member, [click here](​ To get insights on Twitter, [click here](=)​ To become an affiliate, [click here](=)​ To sponsor a report, [click here](=)​ 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205 ​[Unsubscribe](​ ​